Making Music
by Angel Lilith
Summary: After her mother's death, Amu sunk into a depression vowing to never do thing thing she loves the most ever again, sing. Now entering a new high school, what happens when she's forced to join a band with the four hottest guys in school?
1. Setting the Stage

_Just open your eyes_

_And see that _

_Life. Is. Beautiful._

_Will you swear on your life? _

_That no one will cry _

_At. My. Funeral._

_~Life is Beautiful - Sixx: AM_

There is nothing worse than transferring to a new school in the middle of the year. That was Amu Hinamori's opinion any ways, as she continued unloading cardboard boxes full of her clothes and personal belongings. Her new room was smaller than her last, but one perk was a balcony. She walked out abandoning her work to breathe in some fresh air instead of paint fumes. There was not much of a view, but she loved it all the same. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, to receive the first bit of peace and quiet for months.

"Onee-sama!" she heard her younger sister call for her from her door.

_Moment over. _

Ami let herself into her room, exploring the room with a look of wonder and curiosity. Amu watched her younger sister with a faint smile on her face. She'd never get to know, never get to live the same way she had. Amu wanted to hold her sister and say how sorry she was, but Ami was so happy. Amu held herself back and smiled at her sister ignoring the fact she was moving around all her things.

"Want to check out this view?" she offered her sister when she began reaching for her perfume bottles.

Ami just gave her a wide excited smile and went running to her. She wasn't tall enough to stand over the rails, just entering kindergarden, so she stuck her head through the rails watching the cars wize by the house.

"How are my girls?!" Amu heard her father ask coming up and hugging Ami from behind. They laughed together as Amu just smiled her small smile. She hadn't yet managed to get herself to laugh, it took her a month to begin smiling again. "So, what do you think of the house?"

"It's...nice." Amu replied. She still wasn't sure what she thought about their new home. Everything was happening so fast, and everything was changing. A new town, a new home, a new school... a new lifestyle.

"Don't worry about school too much," her father tried to comfort her by putting his hand on her shoulder, "I'm sure you'll make friends in no time." It amazed Amu on how little her father truly knew about her. Not that she was surprised, he hadn't mentioned anything about her incident ever since it happened, and it made since he was concerned. That wasn't what was on her mind though. School, seemed unimportant to her. There was so much on her mind that what shallow teenagers thought of her was the least of her worries.

"I know. Don't worry about me so much." Amu answered offering him the best smile she could muster. He seemed content with the reply, for the time being anyway. Right now, to Amu, her family was the most important thing in the world. She didn't want her father to worry about her as much as he had in the past few months. He had Ami to take care of, she needed him more than Amu did.

As they left, Amu regretedly went back to work unloaded boxes. She stumbled across one box with her old things. She had packed these away a few months ago to keep her from looking at, but the curiousity drew her in to shuffle through the box.

She pulled out her favorite band shirt, along with her old music book. She laughed at the recognition of old songs she had written. Then she came across something she stared at for a long time. An old family picture, within a broken frame. The picture behind the glass was of the whole family. They were all attempting to make a cake for Ami's birthday, and it was more or less a complete disaster. The kitchen was a mess and they were all covered in dough and flour. Everyone dirty with smiles. That day was a happy memory, but the picture within the frame itself, was one with memories all it's own. Ones that Amu didn't care to remember as she threw the picture back in the box and shoved it into the corner of her closet.

"Never again." she told herself as she hugged he pillow and laid on her bed, fighting back the tears that threatened her eyes. There were too many bad memories, too much sorrow, and she was sick of crying. She decided before they moved that she would never cry again, no matter what happened to her. Too many cries, too many tears, and with them, there is no room for happiness.

* * *

"You've got to choose one Ikuto!" Kukai yelled at his friend out of frustration. He hated when his friend got picky when making a decision. Any other time it would be whatever came first, but when it was a decision like this, he was analyzing every detail. And that, was not Kukai's strong point.

"We've only seen three people. It takes more options than that before choosing one." Ikuto tried to reason with his friend, but he knew he just didn't like everything being on hold, and neither did Ikuto. He wanted to make a decision soon, but he also wanted to make sure it was the right one.

"Yeah, but wasn't at least one of them good?"

"Yeah." Ikuto answered sarcastically with a chuckle, "One sounded like a guy and the other two sounded like cats fighting over fish guts."

"That bad huh?" Kukai asked unaware of how the singers had sounded, just assumed they were descent, "That just goes to show you, never let Tadase tell you who's good."

"That's what I said." Ikuto laughed remembering the auditions and how Tadase was so into it, "The dude listens to too much country."

"I know-Hey! I like country!" Kukai replied defensively, hitting Ikuto on the shoulder as he continued laughing at his friends choice of music.

"What are you two up to?" a voice asked approaching the two boys talking on an outside table waiting for the bell to ring.

"Yo! What's up Nagihiko?!" Kukai asked with enthusiasm to see his friend.

"You two seemed deep in conversation," he observed taking a seat on the other side of the table, "What you talking about?"

"Just the singer problem." Ikuto answered sighing at the memories of the pathetic singers.

"I know what you mean," Nagihiko agreed whincing at the memories himself, "Their voices were real ear openers."

"Guitarists. You guys are just trying to be perfectionists." Kukai complained, wishing he'd been present for their past auditions.

"Maybe drummers as just too laid back." Nagihiko suggested relating to Kukai's constant quotes on everyone 'relaxing' and 'going with the flow.'

"All I'm saying is that singers aren't like instrumentalists. It's hard for them to make their voices good. It's not like tuning a guitar. Either they have good voices or they don't."

"That was almost poetic. You sure you didn't get that from a fortune cookie?" Ikuto asked with a chuckle from Nagihiko as a response.

"Hey, give me some credit will ya? English is the one class I'm actually passing." Kukai tried to defend himself, but he didn't linger on trying. There was just no beating them both in a verbal dispute. Not even in a fist fight could he last. "Why don't we just do what we always do?"

"Because instrumental bands don't get listeners," Ikuto tried to reason. Their band would usually practice songs in a garage with just the music, "And I refuse to sing ever again." Once they had volunteered Ikuto to sing at a practice, and that ended disasterous.

"I don't know Ikuto, I thought you had a beautiful singing voice," Nagihiko commented sarcastically as Kukai bursted out laughing. Ikuto hit him on the shoulder in response as Nagihiko started laughing himself.

"Hey guys!" They all turned around to see the youngest memeber of their band coming towards them. "I got the solution to all our problems."

"No way!" Kukai exclaimed excitedly, "You won the lottery?!"

"What?" Tadase asked confused by Kukai's immediate thought.

"How's that going to solve all our problems?" Ikuto asked amused by his friends outburst and the enthusiasm that came with it.

"Hey, money is the solution to all life's problems."

"There went the poet." Nagihiko commented smaking Kukai on the head to quiet him down.

"What you got?" Ikuto asked getting back to Tadase.

"You're going to love me for this!" Tadase answered excitedly as he shuffled through his back pack.

"I love you." Nagihiko answered in a serious voice making Kukai burst out laughing again. Along with Nagihiko and Ikuto laughing themselves.

"Check this out." Tadase said placing a flyer in front of Ikuto. Ikuto examined the paper explaining auditions for a female lead singer this afternoon.

"Perfect!" Ikuto answered passing the flyer around.

"Nice going man!" Nagihiko replied high fiving Tadase.

"Man, this'll get every girl in the school auditioning." Kukai commented at the girls already carrying around the flyers and showing their friends.

"It had better. It took me forever to make all those copies." Tadase complained recalling all those hours spent working on the project.

"Nicely done." Ikuto complimented. Looking around at all the girls who already had the flyers. Some were just walking to school and met their friends who already had the news. Those who knew the members of the band were staring at the table giggling hysterically at the thought of being the lead singer of the band.

It was pathetic. He probably knew every girl at this school. Some from classes, but most, from love confessions. Somehow he managed to get a conversion every week. He hated all these desperate girls at his school. If he wasn't in desperate need of a singer, then he'd avoid them entirely. Since he did though, he only nodded at girls that waved and shyly looked away giggling.

"Anyone remember a girl with pink hair going to our school?" Kukai asked randomly as the other three stared at him as if he were insane.

"What?" Ikuto asked confused by the question.

"Look over there." Kukai commanded pointing towards the entrance where many students were walking in. One girl stood out from the crowd, with pink hair like Kukai mentioned. Her hair was pulled back in a pony tail, but anything specific about her physical appearance was unknown to him from her distance. She was wearing a pair of torn jeans and a black zipped up jacket. Based on her height, he noted she was most likely a younger student, and because she was walking alone, he assummed she was a new student and not just some girl he never noticed before.

"There's an odd looking girl." Nagihiko commented as he watched the girl make her way to the building, avoiding as much human interaction as possible. "Must be a newbee."

"Probably," Tadase agreed intriged by the weird looking girl. He'd never seen a girl that original before, and it kind of scared him.


	2. Voices By the Dozen

_I'm not crazy._

_I'm just a little impaired_

_I know. _

_Right now you don't care._

_But soon enough._

_Your going to think of me._

_And how I used to be._

_~Unwell- Matchbox Twenty_

Amu walked passed people that didn't believe in the politeness of not staring at people. She heard giggling and whispers as she passed a group of girls. There was no telling if they were talking about her or not, but she paid no mind to the stupid shallowness of girls.

Finding her first class turned out to be a bigger challenge than she had expected. Having traveled around the whole school twice, she finally found her first class in Geometry. After she settled in an empty seat in exhaustion, she couldn't help eavesdropping on the group conversation behind her.

"Have you seen this?"

"I know it's just too perfect!"

"I'd give anything to sing with them!"

"I know! They're so hot!"

Amu heard them all begin giggling at the thought of what she expected to be some cute guys. She debated on whether to be social or to stick with the "timid new girl" act. After hearing them get that way just talking about guys, she thought it best just to stay out of their conversation, or she may end up smacking some of them on the back of the head.

Amu almost made it to the end of the day. No contact with anyone, and nothing to worry about. Then, she went to her final period. Art. One of her favorite subjects. She loved being creative with her hands, even though she didn't have much of a talent for it.

She made the mistake of sitting at a table and looking happy to be there, instead of looking intimidating to any "goody two shoes" that thought it would be a nice thing to do, and sit by the lonely new girl. She hated people that pretended to want to be friends and just acted nice as a way to make fun of you later. Thus, so far, anyone brave enough to dare venture towards her was shot a death glare that made them retreat in fear.

"This seat taken?" those were the words started all her problems. Amu looked up and saw a small girl. She didn't look like she belonged in high school, but she was startled by her appearance. She had beautiful long golden hair and matching eyes. Her cherubic face made her look more like an angel than a high school girl.

"N-no." Amu answered startled that the girl even wanted to sit next to her. The girl didn't smile or show any kind of emotion. She just sat and stared at Amu, who in turned stared at her.

"My name is Rima. We're in the same English class as well." she started to make small talk. Although Amu didn't care for small talk, she was interested in why she was even bothering speaking to her.

"I'm Amu. I just transferred here."

"Your lucky you didn't have to give an introduction." Rima answered sighing, "When I came here I had to explain every detail about myself." Although she said it as if she were surprised, something told Amu that this girl wasn't as surprised as she lead on. Of course people are going to want to know about _her_. She's a walking angel roaming the halls. Amu thought of herself as the girl that no one wanted to know too many details about. Amu tried to make herself as unapproachable as possible, and it worked, for the most part.

"I guess..., do you know if this school has a choir?" it wasn't much for small talk, but she had been curious about it. She knew she shouldn't even bother thinking about choir, but still... it taunted her. There was no one to ask other than her. Rima looked at her confused by the question. Amu would admit to not looking like a choir girl, but that doesn't mean everyone has to agree so quickly.

"I don't think so. This school doesn't have much of a music program. Besides, once you hear the signers at the school talent show, you'll understand why it's best there isn't one." the comment made Amu smile at the thought. She couldn't imagine how bad girls had to be to get this angel looking princess to say they sucked.

"Do you like singing?" Rima asked making Amu look at her in confusion. It wasn't so much her asking a question about choir was obvious that she liked singing, but no one had ever asked her that. Some asked her why she was even in choir since she wasn't "the type." This was the first time someone bothered asking what she liked to do.

"I guess so," she answered shyly offering a faint smile to show her appreciation for the question.

"Are you any good?" Rima asked attempt to engage Amu in a real conversation. Amu blushed slightly recalling all the awards and solos she had received for her singing, but she wasn't the type that liked the spotlight on her. That was one of the reasons she enjoyed choir. She could sing, just with a group instead of it all being on her.

"I'm...decent." Amu answered choosing her words carefully. Rima was surprised by her modesty. Rima expected her to be some kind of arrogant punk, but she was blushing and hiding any chance at a compliment. Her reaction made Rima give Amu her own shy smile. Rima thought that she could actually be friends with this girl. She looked like she needed one.

"Well, if you're interested, check this out." Rima said grabbing Amu's attention. Rima pulled out a flyer she had gotten at lunch and showed Amu. Amu stared at the flyer. It was a band looking for a female lead singer. She wanted to laugh out loud at the thought of her being the only singer, singing on stage with a band. Basically, there was no way in hell she was going to try out for this.

"You're so nice Rima-chan!" Amu heard a voice comment. She guessed this was an unwanted visitor as Rima's smile quickly faded with a look of annoyance at the sound of her voice. Amu glanced over to see a girl with beautiful red hair and green eyes. Behind her were a pack of girls. To Amu, they seemed like a pack of wolves on the prowl for their prey. "Trying to give a chance to the new girl?"

"I'm not nice." Rima stated flatly staring the girl down, "Understand that and you'll get through high school a lot easier. I don't believe there's much competition for this anyway."

"You're exactly right." she agreed with Rima nodding and smiling a shroud smile, "This competition is in the bag. For me anyways. I'm the best singer in school." Amu could tell this girl had no idea what the definition of humble was.

"That's not much of an accomplishment at this school." Rima fired back before glancing back at Amu with a quick wink, "I think you may have some competition now." Amu was stunned by Rima's comment. She'd never heard Amu sing, and she wasn't interested in this anyway.

"Is that so?" the girl asked glaring at Amu, who just looked back unemotional. There was no point in her getting upset, she had never heard her sing either. "Let me get one thing straight for you newbee. This competition is mine. Got it? I'm the one that's going to be the lead singer!"

"Ok," Amu replied blankly looking away uncaring. All the girls stared at her in disbelief. They had expect a verbal fight, but Amu acted as if it were just pointless. To them, that logic made no sense.

"Ok?" the girl asked in confusion.

"Ok, I don't care if you get to be the lead singer. I'm not interested." she pointed out blankly with a hint of annoyance in her tone.

"What? Is the band not good enough for you?" she asked being offended for the band.

"I don't know. I've never heard them play. They could suck for all I know." all the girl's gasped at that. Apparently she had crossed a line somewhere in her words.

"Take that back!" the girl demanded offended again for reasons Amu just couldn't understand.

"Take what back?" she asked unaware of what had pissed everyone off.

"They do not suck!"

"They're too hot to suck!"

"They're awesome!"

"I love them!"

All the girls in the class seemed to gang up on Amu in the argument. Amu felt herself getting irritated by the girls. She assumed there was at least one hot guy in the band. It was like being in a room full of fan girls, which Amu guessed was a pretty accurate simile.

"Has anyone ever heard them play?" she asked the question meant to only be for Rima, but her voice must have been louder than she had wanted and everyone got quiet and stared at her.

"I'm guessing no." Rima whispered to Amu as the girls continued to shoot death glares at her.

"You have no idea what you're talking about!" one girl yelled at her, as all the others agreed.

"Obviously!" Amu couldn't help pointing it out, these girls were just so annoying! "I may have just transferred here, but I know enough to know just because some guy is cute doesn't mean he can play the guitar!" her outburst caused everyone to just stare at her. Not glare, just stare at her in amazement. Even Rima couldn't believe she had pointed out the obvious to these girls that she knew practically worshipped at least one of the guys in the band.

Unexpectedly, one girl took a jar of paint and threw it on the floor. All the other girls settled in their seats, still stunned and quiet as the bell rang and the teacher walked through the door.

"Alright, who broke it?" she asked once she saw the mess on the floor. Every girl in the class pointed at Amu and said her name. She didn't bother defending herself. The whole class against her, the odds weren't exactly in her favor. "See me after class and you can take the job of cleaning up the whole room."

With that punishment placed on her Amu sighed and dropped her head on her desk. When she looked up, Rima was smiling at her, biting her lip in an attempt not to laugh.

"I think we're going to be good friends." she whispered to Amu before class began. The thought of a friend made Amu smile a little, even though she wasn't looking for any friends, she guessed that one wouldn't hurt.

* * *

"This is going to be great!" Kukai commented with his usual amount of enthusiasm for an event, as the band members began setting up their equipment for the auditions. Kukai beat a fast pace on the snare drum before banging his cymbal. "With all these girls auditioning, we're bound to find our singer!"

"Probably would agree with you." Nagihiko responded with a quick downward strum with a G chord.

"Watch it be the first girl auditions." Tadase offered with a pluck of his four strings before playing a G chord himself.

"Don't get your hopes up too high guys," Ikuto warned them with more knowledge about the girls in this school than any of them. Being a senior, he knew a lot about the school, including the music program, or the lack there of. They should all know now by the middle of the school year, but Tadase was still a freshman, Nagihiko was never one to be harsh about anything, and Kukai was just oblivious. "It may take a while to find a girl that isn't tone deaf."

"Relax, man!" Kukai commented in a laid back nature, "There's nothing to it. Just sit back and listen to voices of angels."

"Yeah, yeah." Ikuto responded looking over the first person scheduled for 3 o'clock. "You guys get off the stage, and Tadase, get the first girl."

"Yamabuki Saaya!" Tadase called opening the door slightly.

"Oh my Tadase-kun!" a girl walked in with a voice that sounded slightly embarrassed that made her seem sweet and innocent. By the girls traveling behind her though, Ikuto supposed the sweet and innocent appeal was just an act. "You know who to pick first." and their the act went, "I'm the best in the school. This will be the only audition you need."

"That's our Miss Saaya!" the girls chorused behind her just like a bunch of lackeys would.

"Oh, Ok." Tadase answered with his own innocent look that Ikuto knew was just the way he was around girls, "Then we'd love to hear you sing."

"Tadase-kun~" she answered looking as if she were going to float away, with that loving look in her eye. Ikuto assumed that she like Tadase, not that it wasn't obvious.

"Just go on the stage and sing a song of your choice." Nagihiko told her with a nod of encouragement. The girl walked on the stage with her fan club sitting in seats a few rows behind the band.

She cleared her throat and took a deep breath before singing out loud:

_**HEy hEY! YOU YOU!**_

_**I DoNT LiKe YOUR Girl-friend!**_

_**NO wAY! No WaY! I ThINK YOu NeED a NEW ONE!**_

_**HeY hEY! I CAN BE YoUr Gir-l Fri-end! **_

All their faces began to twitch at the sound of her voice. That voice could make someones ears bleed, and memories of the past auditions came back to Ikuto. He began to consider that maybe they weren't as bad as he first assumed.

"Next!" they all said in unison once the girl was finished, having endured too much torture to be concerned with her feelings.

"Just listen to the voices of angels, huh?" Ikuto commented with a mocking tone to Kukai.

"Maybe dying angels." Kukai mumbled under his breath so only the band could hear.

"I'm sure all the girl's don't, well..., have better voices." Nagihiko reassured them still acting as a gentleman as to avoid offending anyone.

...

"This is hopeless!" Kukai complained slamming his head against the table. They had already gone through over a hundred girls singing their favorite songs, and so far, there was nothing that could actually pass as singing.

"How many more?" Nagihiko asked taking a head ache medicine from the noise of the girls.

"Twenty," Tadase answered banging his file of registration forms from all the girls against his head. "Can't anyone sing here?"

"It's not looking too promising is it?" Ikuto commented trying his hardest not to curse the world with some colorful words. "Next!"

One girl came on the stage after another, it was all pathetic up to the last girl.

"This is pathetic!" Kukai commented being stopped by Nagihiko from banging his head against a wall. They brought all their equipment in hope of finding a girl that could make it to trying one of their original songs, but nothing.

"Guess we better start packing up." Nagihiko sighed dragging Kukai with him to gather the sound equipment.

"I'm going to get a drink, you guys go ahead." Ikuto said before walking towards the door.

"Yeah right! You just don't want to help!" Kukai accused Ikuto with more emphasize and noise than usual.

"I swear I'll be back in a second." Ikuto called back before walking down the hallways to clear his head. That was torture. He was loosing hope in finding any singer. This is harder than finding instrumentalists, but he managed to find three. How hard can it be to find _one_ singer?!

Taking a drink from the water fountain he stopped suddenly stunned, as he just looked at the water fountain. He heard the thing he'd been looking for.


	3. Surprise Attack

_I just wanted you to know!_

_I think about you every night._

_When I fall asleep_

_You are in my dreams!_

_Just like in a movie!_

_The one you want to see_

_With a happy ending!_

_~We Are So Last Year- Hawthorne Heights_

"I can't clean this whole place." Amu muttered to herself as she began sweeping up paper scraps that the girls had been to busy to pick up themselves. She had been working for a good hour before the teacher split expecting the room to be spotless when she came in the morning.

She hung her jacket on the chair she sat at earlier. She remembered Rima, and how she wanted to be her friend. Amu wasn't sure how to feel about that, but for now she decided not to put much thought into the idea. After a few minutes the hall lights went out as a sign the staff had gone home. Amu made the assumption she was alone, and decided to take a risk.

A dream she had just months ago, vanished in a flash and seemed like a stupid childhood longing. She told herself that she would never let that longing keep her away from reality. Just asking if their was a choir was just a foolish attempt to relive what she had lost. She vowed to never sing again, not where people could hear her anyway.

She stored away her once treasured possessions, leaving her life away from music and focused on the real world. Although, she knew completely getting rid of music was close to impossible, especially for her. To fill the void, she would sing in the shower or alone in her room. No one else heard her, ever! That was her rule, that was what she decided was best.

She cleared her throat nervously and started singing a song she was familiar with:

_**I just can't understand the ways **_

_**Of all the men and their mistakes **_

_**You give them all your heart **_

_**And then they rip it all away**_

As she was singing she continued working with a little more energy, even if the song was lacking it. She was just excited to sing. She hadn't sung in a long time, with the exception of the shower of course.

_**You told me how much you loved me**_

_**And how our love was meant to be **_

_**And I believed in you**_

_**I thought that you would set me free**_

Ikuto just stood where he was, stunned. He was just thinking how it was impossible to find a singer, and he could hear _her_. She had one of the most beautiful voices he had ever heard, and not just in comparison to the auditions but CDs, bands, everything, it was brilliant. This girl's voice was angelic with deep passion. She felt whatever she was singing.

_**You should've just told me the truth **_

_**That I wasn't the girl for you**_

_**Still, I didn't have a clue**_

_**So my heart depended on you, whoa**_

_**.**_

_**Although I'll say I hate you now**_

_**Though I'll shout and curse you out**_

_**I'll always have love for you**_

_**Because I am a girl**_

Ikuto was in captivated by this girl's voice. It was beautiful and he felt the lyrics in her words, and the music in harmony of her voice. He could recognize the notes she was singing clearly. He wanted to hear her with actual music, and he realized he was still standing still. Thus, he started running around trying to find this voice.

_**Been told a man will leave you cold**_

_**Get sick of you and bored**_

_**I know that it's no lie**_

_**I gave my all, still I just cry**_

.

_**Never again will I be fooled **_

_**To give my all when nothing's true **_

_**I won't be played again**_

_**But I will fall in love again**_

Ikuto could hear the voice getting louder, sharper, clearer. It was even better when he could be closer. Listening, he noticed a room that still had a light on. He approached the room silently walking. The door was open, but he didn't dare look inside until he was sure that who he was looking for was there. Then he heard the song continue.

_**You should've just told me the truth**_

_**That I wasn't the girl for you**_

_**Still, I didn't have a clue**_

_**So my heart depended on you, whoa**_

.

_**Although I'll say I hate you now**_

_**Though I'll shout and curse you out**_

_**I'll always have love for you**_

_**Because I am a girl**_

_**.**_

_**You told me how much you loved me **_

_**And how our love was meant to be**_

_**And I believed in you**_

_**I thought that you would set me free**_

He glanced inside and got a surprise as to who the singer was. The new girl he had seen earlier. Then, he thought that she was strange. She stood out from the crowd, but that's what he was looking for. She was cleaning the art room, looking the same as earlier, except for a little perspiration and a white t-shirt instead of a jacket. He risked leaning against the doorway with a smile on his face as he listened to her sing, as she had her back turned to him, unaware she wasn't alone.

_**You should've just told me the truth **_

_**That I wasn't the girl for you**_

_**Still, I didn't have a clue**_

_**So my heart depended on you, whoa**_

_**.**_

_**Although I'll say I hate you now**_

_**Though I'll shout and curse you out **_

_**I'll always have love for you**_

_**Because I am a girl**_

_**.**_

_**You should've just told me the truth**_

_**That I wasn't the girl for-**_

Amu turned around in her sweep and seeing someone in the the doorway she let out a scream and tripped backwards.

"You alright?" Amu heard the person in the doorway ask trying to hold back a laugh, unsuccessfully. Offended Amu stood up quickly and brushed herself off and continued sweeping, ignoring him. "Oh, so that's how it is?"

"Do you want something?" Amu asked facing him annoyed. She couldn't help analyzing him. She'd never seen a boy look anything like him before. He had thick dark blue hair that made an interesting style. Amu was tempted to reach up and touch it, but restrained herself. His eyes were some kind of midnight blue color that amazed her. His smile was more of a smirk at the moment as they stared each other down.

Ikuto looked at her closer this time in a reasonable distance. After all, a singer has to have a good voice and attract people to listen to the music. She had pink hair in a messy pony tail after the long school day. Her shirt showed off her milky white skin that was hidden with the jacket. Her eyes were attractive, with a bright hazel color that seemed to follow a unique swirl pattern in her eyes. She was perfect.

"Yeah," he finally answered after their stare down, "Want to join a band?" Amu was surprised by the question. She tried to hide it, but it was pointless. Join a band? That was both random and stupid to her!

"Sorry, not interested." she answered plainly before going back to her sweeping.

"Who's not interested in joining a band?" he asked moving in front of her.

"Me. Now, go away." she answered before hitting him with her broom, which appeared to have no effect on him.

"I think I can take you." he commented as Amu stared at him in confusion.

"What?"

"Either you come with me by choice, or I'll just take you by force." he answered simply, appearing to be amused with himself.

"You can't take me by force. If I don't want to join your stupid band then I don't have t-!" she didn't even finish her statement before she was thrown over his shoulder and walking out the door. "Put me down!" she commanded struggling from his grasp.

"Are you going to come quietly?"

"I'm not going to come at all! Put me down!"

"No."

"Damn it! I'm going to murder you!"

"With that broom that worked so well earlier?" he asked amused by the girl's continuous struggle. She hardly weighed anything, but she acted vicious.

"You!" was all she got out before they walked into what appeared to be an auditorium.

"Hey Ikuto! I thought you said you'd be back in a- Uh. What's with the girl on your shoulder?" Kukai asked first outraged by the fact they already packed up the microphone set up and he still hadn't returned, then, just plain confusion.

"This is our next audition." he announced before throwing her on the stage.

"I didn't agree to that!" Amu complained standing up from the stage and yelling at her kidnapper.

"Well, as long as you're here, why not?" he asked as she glared at him, while the other band members just looked confused.

"We already put up the microphone!" Tadase complained after spending ten minutes trying to figure out what wire goes in what box, he wasn't going to set it back up for another failing audition.

"She won't need it, she's loud enough." Ikuto said simply sitting in the front row in front of a table he had been for the past auditions.

"But!" Tadase started to complain

"One more won't hurt," Nagihiko encouraged and sat down next to Ikuto.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Kukai complained before taking his seat along with Tadase right after.

"I'm not doing this." Amu said as she started to walk off.

"You got endurance? Because, if you get off I'll just put you back on. I don't get bored easily. We could be here _all_ night." Ikuto threatened causing Amu to stop. She released a sigh. She had to finish cleaning the art room, and make dinner for Ami when she got home. _Sorry Mom._

"Fine, what do I sing?" Amu asked getting back to where she was before.

"Just sing where you left off." Ikuto encouraged as the others were preparing themselves for the worst.

Amu took a deep breath and closed her eyes to avoid seeing their faces.

_**You took advantage of my willingness**_

_**To do anything for love**_

_**Now I'm the only one in pain**_

_**Will you please take it all away**_

_._

_**Never thought being born a girl **_

_**How I can love you and be burned**_

_**And now I will build a wall **_

_**To never get torn again**_

_**.**_

_**Although I'll say I hate you now**_

_**Though I'll shout and curse you out**_

_**I'll always have love for you **_

_**Because I am a girl**_

There wasn't much of the song left, but she stopped at the end. She opened her eyes and was surprised by their faces. Ikuto was smiling with satisfaction, and the other three were staring at her in surprise, gaping at her voice. They've never heard anything like her voice before in their lives.

"Wow." Tadase managed to get out barely as the others stayed quiet, still staring.

"So, what's the verdict?" Ikuto amused by their reactions.

"Yes! This is perfect! She's perfect!" Kukai was yelling appearing on the stage beside Amu. She nearly jumped out of her skin as Kukai started shaking her excitedly. "I could kiss you!"

"Huh?" she asked confused by his enthusiasm.

"Finally!" Tadase exclaimed some how appearing on Amu's other side, "The positions filled! No more torture!"

"Can you play any instruments?" Nagihiko asked pushing in front of Tadase.

"Uh..." Amu was overwhelmed by all of them. Getting a closer look at them all, she could see why an entire art class had rallied against her. These were some of the most attractive guys she'd ever seen, and they were freaking her out at the moment.

"It doesn't matter!" Kukai answered for her, "Her voice makes up for any flaws she may have!"

"Flaws?" Amu asked confused by what he was implying.

"I found her," Ikuto commented still seated in the front row, "I get some credit."

The boys looked at each other and shared a mischievous smirk before bowing, arms stretched out while standing, chanting "We are not worthy! We are not worthy!"

"That's more like it!" Ikuto answered amused by their enthusiasm, "Let's get the instruments back out and try a few things."

"Huh?" Amu asked not sure what was going on.

"Right!" Kukai answered running to his drums, "Why don't we try hearing her with an upbeat song?"

"What a second." Amu tried to get their attention.

"Good idea." Tadase commented getting out his bass, "Maybe a variety?"

"Hey!" Amu tried again with a more stern voice.

"Yeah, mixed with something dramatic or mellow." Nagihiko suggested getting his guitar.

"HEY!" Amu yelled finally getting their attention, "I didn't agree to anything! So while I appreciate the offer, I'm going to have to refuse. Bye!" and with that she started off the stage and back to the art room, leaving the boys with a stunned expression, more surprised than hearing her sing.

She didn't even make it to the door before she was pulled back to the stage by her shirt. "You like things done the hard way, don't you?" Ikuto asked throwing her back in the middle of the stage.

"Not the hard way, no way!" she answered balling her hands into fists, "I'm not going to join your stupid band! I have better things to do!"

"Oh?" Ikuto asked with a smirk, "And what might that be?"

"None of your business!" Amu snapped back at him. He was so tall in comparison to herself, she could only look straight into his chest, so she had to look up and glare at his smirk. The way he acted was starting to piss her off.

"Come on!" she heard a whine come from Kukai from behind her, "You're the only girl in school that can actually sing!"

"So get a male singer." she answered annoyed by them all at this point.

"If the girls all suck," Tadase tried to reason with her, "Do you really expect the guys to be any better?"

"See ya!" she said, ignoring his reasoning and attempted to walk past Ikuto, only to be grabbed by the shirt and once again dragged back to the middle.

"Give us a good reason, then I'll let you leave." Ikuto bargained with her, amused by tireless escape routine.

_No way in hell am I telling you the reason!_ Amu screamed in her head, while biting her lip to keep the words from escaping her mouth. She sighed thinking of the most logic reason why this idea was stupid, most logical for them anyways. "Do you plan on performing in front of people?"

"Well..," Ikuto pretended to think about the question, which made Amu want to punch him, "The thought never crossed my mind, but I suppose we would."

"Then there's the reason." Amu stated with a smile of satisfaction at Ikuto's confused expression.

"Huh?" she heard Kukai commented behind her, seemingly confused himself.

"I can't sing in front of crowds." Amu stated blandly, which was true. She was terrified to sing alone in a spotlight. No way in hell were they going to make her!

"We're a crowd!" she heard Kukai comment again, "You sang in front of us!"

"Because I was forced to!" she answered glaring at Ikuto as his confused expression faded into another smirk.

"So, you don't mind singing in front of crowds if you're forced to?"

"Don't twist my words!" Amu warned him poking her finger hard into his chest a few times before walking past him.

"Tell you what." Ikuto said having gotten to the door before her, blocking her only way out, "We'll give you tonight to think our offer over. Come here right after school if you want to join. Otherwise, go on with your life." with that, he pushed the door open and gestured out the door showing she was free to go.

She started to storm out the door hearing one last comment behind her, "See you tomorrow."

She stopped in her tracks, looking over her shoulder with a look of annoyance, she saw that same smirk, again. "Don't count on it!" she replied heading back to the art room, never looking back.

"Nice going Ikuto!" Tadase remarked sarcastically when Ikuto got back to the band, "She's not going to show _now_!"

"Don't be so sure," Ikuto answered with a mischievous smile, "I never said the choice couldn't be persuaded."

...

A/N: Angel Lilith here :P! I'm really excited about all the feedback I've gotten so far on this story! All these reviews have made me want to write more and more! Well, the song Amu is singing is this chapter is: Because I am a Girl (English Version) by Kiss. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! 8D


	4. Decision

_Feels so much like falling _

_Dying while I wait to die_

_The thrill of something I might be into life._

_~Much Like Falling- Flyleaf_

"Of all the stupid, arrogant, annoying, idiots!" Amu complained to herself through her teeth as she cut the vegetables for dinner. Ami watched from the counter, staring at her sister with wide eyes as her sister cut the vegetables into oblivion with an unusual amount of rage.

"_You got endurance?_" she mimicked Ikuto bringing the knife down hard on the cutting board, "Who does he think he is?! What?! Does everyone just do whatever he wants, so he never learned manners or something?!" she repeatedly beat the vegetables until she hit the knife down so hard she broke the cutting board.

"Onee-sama?" Ami asked in wonder at the scene.

"I guess I shouldn't vent my anger when I'm cooking, huh?" Amu asked Ami sheepishly, embarrassed that she let herself get so out of hand around her sister. "Why don't we eat something else?"

Ami nodded still staring at the broken board with the tiny bits of vegetables, chopped so small that the flavor would be lost in one piece alone. Amu ventured to the fridge looking for something that would take more concentration to create.

She needed something to get her mind off those guys, especially that jerk! What? Does he kidnap girls on a daily basis or something?! She could already tell that he had a big ego, and his damn smirk was pissing her off the more she thought about it. It was as if messing with her amused him so much! Why couldn't he just talk to her seriously, then maybe she would at least be nice when she declined their offer. Now, she was going to make sure she didn't see his annoying smirk ever again!

It was only after her rant in her mind did she realize that she had pulled a carton of eggs out of the fridge and accidently crushed the carton between her hands. With egg yoke dripping from the carton and Ami staring at her, blinking repeatedly as if to show her innocence, Amu sigh and surrendered. "How do you feel about ordering in?" she asked embarrassed again that she had gotten out of hand, but all was forgiven with the thought about restaurant food for a kindergardener.

"Yay!" she yelled excitedly as Amu picked up the phone and ordered Mushoo Pork from the Golden Dragon, a restaurant the family of three had grown to love in this town.

"Ordering in are we?" Amu heard her father ask as he was readying himself for a night of work. He was the night manager for a big corporation in town, Easter, that did something with records, Amu didn't bother looking into the specifics of the corporation. As her father walked into the kitchen to talk to his girls, he couldn't help but notice the disaster in the kitchen, "I can see why."

"Heading out?" Amu asked as her father tickled a giggling Ami. She hated how he had such late hours. They hardly ever got a chance to see him. He was either working, or sleeping through the day.

"Yes maam!" he answered like a gentleman, proudly patting the briefcase in his hand. Amu knew her father loved his job, no matter the inconvenient hours, and she was glad to see him enjoying himself. She knew how hard it was for him to never get to see them and to have her mother gone too. "If I impress them enough, they may promote me to the day shift."

"Sounds great." Amu answered giving her father a quick, gentle hug, "Knock em dead!" she told him encouragingly as he started out the door.

"I'll see you girls in the morning." he called after shutting the door behind him.

"Bye bye!" Ami called after him even after the door was shut. Amu glanced over at her sister's pouting face.

"How was kindergarden?" Amu asked willing to get into a conversation with her younger sister. She loved seeing Ami's face light up whenever Amu asked her something, no matter how simple or meaningless.

"It was lots of fun!" Ami answered in an excited tone that she loved to use, "How was high school?" she asked the question curiously with a hint of innocence, but Amu just couldn't help but twinge at the question.

"It was..., interesting." Amu answered, choosing her words carefully to the six year old that seemed to only be interested in what she was saying was when she wished she would ignore her.

"What! What! What!" she asked excitedly, as if somehow she knew there was something more to be told. Amu surrendered with a sigh, as she tried to explain the afternoon events to her.

"I don't know what to do Ami." Amu confessed after telling her story, Ami still looking interested in her older sister's thoughts, "I mean, I have horrible stage fright, not to mention all the girls in school would hate me." Amu considered her own thoughts, "Well, I guess I wouldn't mind if all those girls hated me. A lot of them already don't like me anyway, but I don't even know if those guys are any good... They were willing to play though, and they liked my voice. I can't believe I'm even thinking about it! I'm not going on stage to perform, I can't! But... I do miss singing." Amu looked over at her sister staring at her with wide eyes of concern, as if she knew exactly what Amu was feeling. "What do you think I should do?"

"We learned a song today!" Ami answered that was irrelevant to her question. "It's called Twinkle, Twinkle Wittle Star!" Amu sighed with a light smile at her sister's attention span.

"Thanks Ami, that was real helpful." Amu muttered under her breath as her sister jumped up to begin her small performance.

_**Twinkle Twinkle Wittle Star**_

_**How I Wonder What You Are**_

_**Up Above Dha World So High**_

_**Like A Diamond In Dha Sky**_

_**Twinkle Twinkle Wittle Star**_

_**How I Wonder What You Are**_

"That was wonderful Ami." Amu clapped for Ami with her performance, where she sang her little heart out to the familiar nursery song.

"Amu turn!" Ami said pointing at her sister suddenly.

"Huh?" Amu asked confused by her sister's sudden request, "Come on Ami, don't make me do this."

"Sing!" Ami pleaded with the puppy dog eyes that was Amu's weakness.

"Alright," Amu sighed, hating those puppy dog eyes and the affect they had on her. "Twinkle Twinkle-" she began only to be cut off by Ami.

"No! Louder and straight ahead!" Ami commanded, remembering what her sister had taught her a few months ago when Ami had told her she wanted to be a singer.

"My own words used against me." Amu muttered her complaint under her breath before beginning again with the proper technique.

_**Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star**_

_**How I wonder what you are**_

_**Up above the world so high**_

_**Like a diamond in the sky**_

_**Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star**_

_**How I wonder what you are**_

She finished with a smiling Ami clapping excitedly, she hadn't heard her sister sing to her in a while. She loved her sister's voice. When Ami was still a baby, Amu would sing to her lullabies to help her fall asleep, and the voice had stayed close to her memories of her sister.

Amu bowed playfully to Ami's applause, "Thank you. Thank you."

"That was really good!" she heard someone yell from the door, that scared the hell out her as she screamed and nearly fell over. Ami stopped clapping and stared at the door, unaware that there was someone on the other side. "I mean..., Uh, someone order Mushoo Pork?!"

Cautiously, Amu walked to the door and opened it a crack. After seeing a deliverer for the Golden Dragon, her mouth fell from shock. Standing in her doorway was who she recognized to be the drummer from the band. He smiled at her with a goofy grin. Somehow, he managed to look good in a deliver boy uniform. "Are you stalking me?" Amu asked, not showing any of her surprise that she felt at the boy in front of her.

"Believe it or not, I actually work here." Kukai answered shrugging his shoulders still smiling, "They gave me this cool uniform and everything!" based on the excitement in his voice, Amu couldn't tell whether he was kidding or being serious.

"Yeah,...Cool's not the word I'd use." she answered. He laughed at her response. She was as vicious as Ikuto had commented her being. At first, he thought he was just exaggerating, but no, she was just that way.

"So, you thinking about joining the band?" he asked curiously, he had come in time to hear a little girl yell at her and hear her sing a little kid song.

"What makes you think that? I thought I was quite blunt this afternoon." Amu answered with a look that suggested that it would be better for him to move to a safer topic. However, being Kukai, he didn't notice what the look meant and continued his own observation.

"Well, I heard you singing, and you seemed to be into it." Kukai answered with a shrug handing her the food, "You really like to sing, don't you?"

"Not really." Amu answered with a embarrassed blush that he could pick up on that, and that blush didn't go unnoticed.

"Food's on the house." Kukai told her with his friendly smile shining at her, "But you got to promise to consider our offer at least. I think you'd like the band. You'd get to sing, and we're a lot of fun. Well, sometimes, but it's still a great way to do things."

"Fine." Amu answered reluctantly, she didn't want to mean to him, he hadn't dragged her anywhere, and he gave her free food.

"I'm Kukai by the way." he told her with an out stretched hand for her to shake.

"Amu." she answered firmly taking the hand with a quick shake.

"Well, Amu, I hope I see you tomorrow." and with that, he disappeared down the way.

When she closed the door she looked to see Ami staring her with a questioning look. Amu sighed, what was she going to do now?

"Forget it." she told herself aloud only making Ami look more confused, "I can't go back to that fantasy. I have to focus on school."

"Food!" Ami exclaimed just realizing what was in Amu's possession. Amu smiled at her with a bit of jealousy, she wished she could forget all her problems as simple as moving to the next good thing like that.

* * *

Amu had to force herself to go to school that morning. She couldn't afford to miss anything in class, especially as a new student. Her school had been behind in the learning material, she had to catch up. Maybe she should use that as a reason to stay out of the band. After a full night of thinking over her options, she thought it was best to just stay away from the band. Just decline respectfully and go on with her life, away from all of them.

Walking to school, she thought over how she would refuse their offer. Should she seek them out and tell them? Should she just not show up after school? There were so many options that she couldn't focus on anything else, including what was right in front of her. Just in the fifteen minutes it takes to get to school, she was almost run over by a bike, tripped on a crack in the cement, ran into an open locker door, and got hit in the head with a football being thrown in the hall.

She felt lucky to be alive as she went towards her locker, hoping she wouldn't get hit by a train or something on the way. She told herself in her mind to stay focused. It'd do her no good thinking about what to do in the future if she couldn't make it through the day. Thinking about staying focused, she somehow managed to run into something that felt like a wall and fall backwards. Typical, she couldn't focus, even when she was thinking about staying focused!

"You sure know how to space out." she heard a comment from the wall. _Wait_! She thought before looking up from the ground. Turns out she didn't run into a wall, but a person. With her luck, it would be the one person she didn't want to see, of course wearing a smirk on his face.

"Huh?" she asked unable to form any real words still. She had thought he was a wall after all. He offered her a hand up, that reminded her of something a gentleman might do. She glanced up to see him smirking at her still, for some reason, she felt better that he was wearing that smirk. There was no mistaking him for a gentleman that way, and that's when she accepted his hand.

It surprised her how strong he was. Sure, he could throw her over his shoulder like she was nothing, but at that moment she was a little too preoccupied to think about it. Well, she ran into his chest and it felt like a wall, does that mean he was just that built or something._ What?!_ Why had she just thought about something like that?!

She felt a blush creep on her neck making her quickly smack his hand away. Ikuto gave her a confused expression as she glared up at him. "Go. Away!" she told him before walking away leaving him stunned and unaware what had caused her sudden mood swing.

Shaking her head she walked to her locker, fidgeting with the lock. _That was so perverted!_ she thought to herself as she finally managed to open her locker and shove her head in as she thought. _Focus, Focus!_ she chanted to herself mentally. When she was distracted..., by someone blowing in her ear from behind. Jumping up in her locker she hit her head as she heard laughter from behind. "Why so nervous." she was beginning to hate this guy.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" she asked frustrated facing him with a glare. He just continued smirking, it was too easy to mess with her. He'd never had this much fun messing with another person as he did with her. Maybe it was because he actually could. Every other girl in the school would probably just think he was flirting and not get angry with him. She on the other hand had no difficulty insulting him.

"Well, I still don't have a singer." he answered leaning against the lockers by hers with a cool look to him, which had no affect on her.

"That's a real shame." she commented with sarcasm as she pretended to ignore him, searching for the books she needed for her next class.

"I see you haven't softened up to the idea yet," he observed as she threw her back pack in her locker, obviously annoyed by his presence, "You'll probably get your thoughts together by the end of the day. Unless you get sent to the hospital."

"I'm not joining your stupid band!" she told him through her teeth to keep from saying anything about his unwanted observations. "I have things to do."

"Like what?" he asked curious to see if she were telling the truth or just making an excuse on the spot.

"Like taking care of my sister while my dad's at work." she answered him before she could stop herself from saying it. She hadn't wanted to tell him about that, but it was too late, it was already out.

"What's your dad do?" he asked, kind of surprised, she didn't look like the type concerned with family. She looked more like the rebellious type, but then again, appearances can be deceiving. She didn't look like she'd be an exceptional singer, but that didn't mean she wasn't.

Amu thought she might as well tell him, she had already said the truth, no point in lying now. "He's the night manager at some corporation, Easter I think it's called."

An amused smile spread across Ikuto's face. Oh the irony. He wondered if she had any idea who he was. Probably not, then he wondered what her reaction would be when she found out. Amu glanced over, and seeing him so amused gave her a twinge of annoyance.

"What's so funny?" she asked in an annoyed tone. She had told him the truth, and she didn't quite get the humor in any of it.

"Nothing," he lied smoothly leaning down to her level, "Just wondering if you want to join the hard way or the easy way."

With that, Amu just snapped, "You can't tell be what I can or can't do! You are not the boss of me! Who the hell do you think you are?!"

"Ikuto Tsukiyomi," Ikuto answered playfully bowing to her, an impressive outburst, "Pleasure to meet you, Miss..."

"Amu Hinamori." she answered firmly still annoyed. She turned away to walk to her next class.

"See you after school." she heard the comment behind her, but pretended she hadn't, she just didn't have the time or energy to beat him up, verbally or physically.

* * *

"So, how was the cleaning?" Rima asked Amu outside as they ate their lunch. Yesterday Amu ate by herself in the lunchroom. She didn't even know their were outside tables that people could eat at. They might as well enjoy the weather while it was still warm enough to be outside.

"It was... something." Amu answered before taking a bite of her sandwich, she had learned from Ami to choose her words more carefully when bringing up a topic she didn't care to dwell on.

"I see..." Rima commented seeming to know there was more, but choosing not to press the matter any further.

"Hey Rima," Amu began getting her attention. She just needed to know something, "Remember that flyer you gave me about the band?"

"Yes, what about it?" she asked curious as to where this would lead.

"Well, what can you tell me about the members in the band?" she had to know what these guys were all about.

"I see. Well, one is named Tadase Hotori, he's in our year. He's a kind boy, a little sweet looking, you know, blonde hair and a shy smile. His nickname is actually Prince Tadase." Amu remembered him as the boy on base. He didn't seem like a prince to her, but then again she wasn't exactly paying attention to their personality traits at the time.

"Then there's Nagihiko Fujishaki, he's in the year above us. His family owns the Fujishaki Dance School in town. I suppose from all those years around strict women he learned how to be a proper gentleman." she thought of the boy on guitar. It struck Amu as hard to believe a boy with long hair in a band was a proper gentleman, but who's to say he's not?

"You have Kukai Souma, he's also in the year above us. He's the star jock in school. He plays on every team and shines in soccer. Of course, being the strong jock that he is, he has the flaw of being kind of clueless." she remembered the boy that had delivered her food with the goofy smile. He seemed nice enough, although she was confident about the whole clueless thing.

"Last, you have the famous Ikuto Tsukiyomi, he's a senior and the school heart throb." Amu wanted to crack up laughing about him being the school heart throb, but she was too surprised to hear he was a senior. He looked old enough, but it just struck her as odd. "Plus his families so wealthy, owning a huge record corporation. He's suppose to inherit the company once he's graduated from high school."

"What corporation?" Amu asked curious, he didn't seem like the wealthy type. He dressed casually and most rich people she knew weren't exactly in bands, but it did explain his attitude.

"Easter. I hear he's already helping with decisions in the corporation to prepare himself for when he graduates. It's this big recording company, so I think he gets to meet a lot of famous idols." Amu's eyes got big at hearing Easter. Ikuto was going to inherit Easter?! He already helped with decisions?! And, he knew her last name, and her father!

"Hey, uh, has Ikuto ever used that power against anyone before?" Amu asked trying to make it sound casual, but the question was too nerve racking for her to keep very calm.

"What do you mean?" Rima asked concerned about Amu's worried voice.

"Like, I don't know, has he ever blackmailed people to do what he wanted because their parents work at Easter or something?" Amu asked about to die from suspense.

"Not that I know of, but I wouldn't put it past him. He's got a reputation as the bad boy type, and that sounds like something he may do." Rima answered seeing Amu's face drain of color, "Did something happen yesterday?"

"Yeah," Amu answered dropping her head down on the table, as if to show she surrendered, "I think I just joined a band."


	5. Fine

_You call me a stranger._

_You say I'm a danger_

_But all these thoughts are leaving you tonight._

_I'm broke and abandoned _

_You are an angel_

_Making all my dreams come true tonight. _

_~Stranger- Secondhand Serenade_

"I don't think I got through to her." Kukai told the band as they sat around the auditorium. Ikuto and Nagihiko were seating in two seats in the front row, while Tadase and Kukai were sitting on the edge of the stage, all awaiting the decision of their "singer".

"When did you even get a chance to talk to her?" Tadase asked, curious as to how an upperclassman got to talk to her more than he did. Earlier that day he had attempted to speak with her, he had to muster up all his courage to even approach her. When he did though, he was immediately pulled away by some girls that had "required" his attention.

"Believe it or not, she ordered from the Golden Dragon last night, and I got to deliver it." Kukai explained still amazed himself. He knew that job was more useful than paying his way for college. He was finally starting to see the perks in it.

"And you're saying you didn't help?" Nagihiko asked tiredly. He had searched for her all day, yet he was unable to ever find her.

"I think I might have pissed her off." Kukai admitted defeatedly. He wasn't accustomed to a girl hating him. He would've taken an entire soccer team that had plans on beating him up after a game over that one girl. For reasons he couldn't explain, she intimidated him. Maybe it was because she was different from other girls he had ever talked to, or the fact that he never had a real conversation with a girl. It made him wonder if all girls were like that.

"Great." Tadase commented with a sigh, "Speaking of which, _you_ didn't talk to her, _right_?" he asked Ikuto accusingly. After the auditions, and she left, they had all agreed it would be best if they all tried to "persuade" her to join, while Ikuto just stayed away from her. They all knew that their was some tension between the two, and it was obvious to anyone that she hated his guts.

"_Me_? Talk to _her_? I'd never do something like that." Ikuto answered smoothly avoiding eye contact to reveal his lie.

"You liar!" Tadase said. He had known Ikuto his whole life, they were like brothers(more like a brother they never wanted), and he could tell from his lack of eye contact he was lying. Somehow, he knew he would talk to her, even after they told him it would be better if he didn't. He knew just telling him not to do something would only make him want to do it more. Plus, the way he talked to her made it seem as though he enjoyed her annoyance.

"Oh man, Ikuto!" Kukai complained falling back onto the stage, "You pissed her off! And now she's not going to show up!"

"You're probably right." Ikuto answered honestly. He was mildly sure that she more or less hated his presence. He doubted that she'd show, no matter how much persuading they did.

"Nice going." Tadase commented with a bitterness he only used towards Ikuto. Ikuto just shrugged, used to those kinds of comments from Tadase. It actually amused him how he was the only one Tadase would be bitter towards. He was the only one that could make a prince curse, and it was that more amusing coming from a guy that looked like him.

Just when they had all accepted that their waiting was pointless, they all heard the door to the auditorium swing open and slam shut. The girl they had been waiting on approached them with a demanding stride, while glaring at the band. They all just stared blankly back at her from the door to her standing in front of them.

"Fine." Amu answered the silent question that had been running through their minds.

"Fine?" Ikuto asked not sure he heard right. Did she just agree to be their singer?!

"_Fine_." she answered again with more authority and annoyance in her voice, as they all started to gather the meaning of the word.

"Fine? Fine..." Kukai pondered the word out loud, until he finally grasped the meaning, "Fine! She said fine!" Kukai exclaimed in joy running up to Amu and quickly embraced her in a bear hug, a little too tight.

"Can't. Breathe!" she protested, with a lack of oxygen, trying to pull away.

"Don't suffocate her!" Tadase told Kukai, smacking him on the back of the head in order for him to release her. His face turned from annoyance to a kind smile to Amu, "I'm glad you decided to join us. I'm Tadase, we have a few classes together." he introduced himself with a out stretched hand to shake.

Getting a closer look at him, Amu could tell why all the girls called him a prince. "Amu. Nice to meet you." she responded shaking his hand in return.

"Nice to meet you Amu-chan. I'm Nagihiko." Nagihiko greeted her with a small smile and a nod. He was polite. Amu couldn't help but wonder what it was like for a boy to live in a house full of dancers.

"Nice to meet you." she responded with a small and a nod herself.

"Now that we all know each other," Ikuto started moving towards the group that had managed to make a circle around Amu as if she were the leader of a pack, "What made you change your mind?" he asked. She sounded set on avoiding the band and everyone in it, so why was she suddenly willing to join?

Amu hesitated. He had more control over her than he had realized, but she wasn't about to let him know that. "I have my reasons." she answered reluctantly with a monotone voice that made her seem bored with the question.

"Like?" Ikuto asked persistently, which he would have continued asking if he hadn't been rudely interrupted, "She's here man! Who cares?!" Kukai asked moving on. He personally didn't care about the details of the situation. Like everyone else, he was just happy she had decided to show.

"Alright." Ikuto said, with a surrendering sigh after seeing the relief expressions on his band members faces. "Let's get started then." The instrumentalist began to make their way to their instruments... all except for one.

"Right!" Kukai answered Ikuto with a salute as if he had been ordered to perform a certain task. "Time for special signer training!" Kukai answered with high enthusiasm and a thumbs up towards Amu.

"Huh?" Amu asked unaware of what he had in mind as "special training".

"Special singer training?" the other members asked in unison, oblivious to Kukai's plans as well. They knew Kukai couldn't sing, so what was he going to teach her? Kukai only gave them a mischievous smile as he revealed a rope behind his back, that only added to the confusion of the group.

"Ready?!" Kukai asked Amu as he threw the rope behind her back, "Running Dash! Go!" he commanded as he started running a sprint around the auditorium. Amu screaming behind him as she had to try to keep up.

The other guys just stared at the two running around the place. Kukai was a fast runner, and by the looks of it, Amu was not the athletic type, as she was pulled and rushing to keep up with him. The only thing was, they had no idea why he was doing this "special training" that made no sense to them.

"Uh, how does this help her singing?" Tadase asked, breaking their shocked silence, but the stares continued.

"I'm...not sure." Nagihiko admitted blankly watching them carefully, as if he could find the answer if he did.

"Well, whatever the reason," Ikuto started, taking a seat and leaning back comfortably, "It's amusing." he commented, more than slightly enjoying Kukai's way of thinking. How often would he get a chance to see her freaked out running around an auditorium. It was sort of out of character for her, according to Tadase's analyzes he had discussed with them earlier. A cool girl that basically said screw the world. Yeah right, was Ikuto's first thought after hearing that. He wanted to crack up laughing, remembering how she had acted around him earlier that day. For some reason though, Ikuto preferred to see her like this than when she glared at him and tried to use that cool attitude.

After almost half an hour of frantic running, Amu finally tripped over her feet and fell face first on the ground, conveniently in front of where the rest of the band was sitting.

"So," she heard a sly voice asked casual, but Amu could just hear the hint of amusement in his voice. She'd be willing to bet money that there was an annoying smirk plastered across his face. "How'd it go?" Her legs felt like cement, and she was still shaking from the experience she hoped to never live again. She had always hated running and everything else that involved sports, and Kukai was just, so, fast. She thought she was going to die for a while.

"What. Did. That. Do?" Amu managed to ask, too tired to lift her head off the ground to see their expressions.

"You have stage fright, right?" Ikuto asked, still amused by the girl. "Yeah." Amu answered, too tired to argue or insult him for being stupid. She just wanted this day to be over.

"Then that's it. Conquering one fear with another." he answered matter of fact like. Only earning him a glare from Amu as she moved her head just enough to see the smirk and show her anger.

"That can't be healthy." Nagihiko commented from Ikuto's analysis. "Was that what I was doing?" Kukai asked Nagihiko with a confused expression, rubbing the back of his head. Nagihiko felt a sweat drop. He was beginning to worry about the safety of this girl in their band. Between Kukai's extra enthusiasm and energy towards her, Tadase's sudden mood changes when speaking to one member then to her, and Ikuto's constant teasing, which was something he was going to look into the reason behind it, this girl's mental state was going to be fried.

"What?" Amu asked in a stern voice giving Kukai a glare with daggers in her eyes, making the boy tremble in fear enough to hid behind Nagihiko. He then realized just how much she really did intimidated him.

"Why don't we try getting in some serious practice?" Nagihiko suggested trying to regain the peace amongst the members, specifically between Kukai and Amu. She looked like she was ready to kill their drummer, and none of them wanted to go through more auditions for a drummer of all things. They had had as much as they could handle with loud noises.

"One question." Amu stated pushing herself off the ground, holding onto one of the chairs to keep herself up. "Are you guys any good?" They were all taken aback by the question. That quickly turned into them all being offended. Did she honestly think they weren't any good, but bothered to endure the torture of both finding a singer and trying to get her to join their band? "I've never heard you play before, and apparently no one else has either." Amu told them as a way to defend herself for asking the question.

"We've never performed for an audience," Ikuto explained, being the only one unaffected by her question, "We were just an instrumentalist band, so there weren't many opportunities to."

"So, you _can _play?" Amu asked, making sure that she knew what she was getting involved with.

"Find out for yourself." he answered her walking over to his guitar, silently signaling the others to follow. "Any request?"

"Oh! OH! I got one!" Kukai answered waving his drum sticks in the air from his drum set, shaking his arms like a child waiting to be called on by the teacher.

"Ok," Ikuto answered, he wasn't really talking to him, but since no one else was going to speak up anyway, "Shoot."

"Twinkle Twinkle Little Star!" Kukai answered with more excitement than a teenage boy should have when suggesting to rocking out to a nursery song. They all gave him strange looks, suggesting their was something wrong with his mental stability at the moment, well, more than usual anyway, "I heard her sing it when I delivered the food last night. Get off my back!" Kukai defended himself from the comments that he knew would soon be made if he didn't explain himself.

With that defense, they all shifted their looks to Amu, who blushed slightly, still embarrassed that he had heard her. "Give me a break." she answered, quickly shaking off the blush and putting her attitude back on, "My little sister made me."

"You have a little sister?" Kukai asked unaware that she hadn't been the only person in the house at the time.

"You went to her house, and you didn't know that?" Tadase asked with amazement on how Kukai could get through the day.

"Hey, she's short! I didn't see her!" Kukai defended himself as the two continued their bickering with insults towards one another that Amu didn't quite understand the affect the words would have on them.

They were interrupted by the sound of a guitar strumming the beginning rhythm to the song, vibrating thorough an amp. It was odd hearing the song being played with an electric guitar, but Ikuto kept playing until he heard the others come in one at a time. Kukai adding some speed and volume, Tadase adding a back noise for the basics, and Nagihiko complimented the song with a capo added to his guitar for a higher note for harmony.

Though Amu didn't want to admit it, they were pretty good, even with a nursery song. They seemed to be in sync with one another, knowing when to play at what time, and how they needed to play it. It was a beautiful combination, and Amu felt a strange urge to hum the song to herself. That, however, would not satisfy the band though.

Ikuto was urging her to just jump in, it wasn't like it was a hard song anyway. He gave her a look with a smirk, somehow provoking her. He got under her skin in a way no one else ever could. She would have stared him down, but she had to remind herself that he held a lot of cards at the moment. She surrendered taking a deep breath while tapping her foot to the beat to follow.

**_Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star_**

**_How I wonder what you are_**

**_Up above the world so high_**

**_Like a diamond in the sky_**

**_Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star_**

**_How I wonder what you are_**

Singing this was different than with Ami. For one, there was more pressure for her to do well. Other than that though, the whole beat was different. She used to sing it like a lullaby to Ami, but just then, she had to sing more like a singer in a rock band. They ended it soon after her singing. Ikuto gave her a smile of satisfaction. Now, they had a band.

* * *

An hour later, Amu began walking to her sister's daycare center to pick up Ami. She was glad that Ami wouldn't have to wait any longer than usual for her to come, even with band practice. It was an interesting experience for her. She was never the only singer before. She had had solos in choir, but at least there were other singers behind her. Now, she was the only singer, and a few guys on instruments behind her didn't help lessen the focus on her.

_Then again, they are the school hotties_. Amu laughed to herself. It was funny how girls could get obsessed with guys they didn't know a thing about. To Amu, they were all insane. Especially the supposed school heart throb, who was both insane and annoying. _And he has power over me._ Amu thought dropping her head in despair. She couldn't think of anything worse than that. She could only wait and see what he would make her do, how far he would go with this power.

She was startled out her thoughts when she heard chimes begin to ring. It took her a moment to realize it was her cellphone going off. This took her by surprise. She hadn't given her number to anyone, not that there was anyone to give it out to, and her dad should supposedly still have another hour of sleep. She checked the caller id to see a number that she didn't recognize.

Hesitantly, she hit the green phone button and spoke into the phone, "Hello?" she listened in the receiver, but there was no reply. "Hello?" she asked again, a little more irritated by the call than anything.

Suddenly, she heard heavy breathing. It reminded her of Darth Vader from Star Wars, but it wasn't as amusing as she had thought it was in the movie. "Who is this?!" she demanded with authority and control in her voice that she didn't feel. What if this was some psychopathic stalker that was on the run and planing to kill her in her sleep?! Alright, that may not have been the most logical assumption, but Amu didn't have any logical reasons on her mind.

The breathing got heavier and louder in response. She stood still, frozen in place trying to figure out what the hell was going on. When suddenly she heard someone say in her ear, "Boo." taking her off guard. She screamed in surprise and fell forward shaking from shock.

"You always this jumpy?" she heard the voice ask with an amused tone. She looked up regretfully, to see the insane, annoying, and now psychopathic stalker towering over her with that same cocky smirk.

Fuming, Amu stood up and glared at the boy that was still looking down at her, even when she was standing up, and just snapped at him, "Yeah, I'm like that when ever some psycho comes up behind me!"

"Psycho?" asked innocently, as if he had no idea what she was talking about.

"I call a guy that calls my phone to freak me out a psycho!" Amu responded still steaming when a realization hit her, "Wait, how did you get my number?"

"I took your phone when you weren't looking." Ikuto admitted without any hint of apology or embarrassment in his voice and expression. He looked more like he was bored with the question.

"Yeah, that's not creep and stalkerish at all." Amu commented sarcastically rolling her eyes once she saw the smirk come back, "What do you want?"

"Just letting you know tomorrow practice is at Kukai's place."

"I see," Amu answered kind annoyed about how he had her number and he chose to follow her instead of just calling her. "And how am I suppose to know where that is?"

"We all just take the van over." Ikuto told her shrugging the issue like it was nothing important, "So just go to the parking lot after school."

"Fine." Amu surrendered knowing arguing wouldn't do her any good, "What's the van look like?"

"Oh trust me, you'll be able to tell." Ikuto answered slyly knowing the usual routine for getting through the parking lot, while knowing she had no idea. He was looking forward to seeing her expression, especially since she just looked confused at the moment.

Before Amu could ask what he meant, she heard a little voice call out to her, "Onee-sama!" Amu turned to see Ami running towards her. She was surprised to see her, and even more surprised that while she was traveling in thought she had somehow ended up in front of the daycare center.

When Ami reached Amu, her excited face turned blank as she stopped in front of Amu and Ikuto. She turned her head up to give Ikuto a blank stare, who returned it with a blank stare of his own. They were having a silent stare off. Amu bit her lip from laughing at the scene. Her little sister standing up to a guy as big as Ikuto, who acted like he could speak on Ami's level. When Ami stepped on her tip toes as a way to intimidate Ikuto, she couldn't help it. Amu started laughing lightly but loud enough to catch her sister's attention. Along with Ikuto's who had been following Ami.

It felt strange to Amu to laugh again. She hadn't laughed in so long. Her sister's excited face came back, happy her sister was laughing again. She looked back up at Ikuto with an excited smile. Ami had the impression that Ikuto was the reason her sister was laughing again. "Hi! Big kid!" she greeted him with a frantic wave.

"Hey. Little kid." he responded with an out stretching hand that Ami's little hand took to shake. Amu stopped laughing but just smiled at the scene of the two mingling.

"Time to go Ami." Amu told her sister who was smiling big at Ikuto. "Ahh!" Ami complained not wanting to leave the big kid.

"Come on Ami." Amu tried to persuade her bending down to level a little showing her a winning smile. "Please?" she asked nicely, the way Ami had learned in kindergarden was a necessary word when asking for something.

She kept that smile as Ami made a face that suggested she was giving the option some thought, when she felt someone blow in her ear from behind. She screamed and nearly jumped out of her skin. All while she heard snickering and a little high pitch giggle. _Betrayed by my own sister_. Amu thought as she gave Ikuto a death glare. "Would you stop doing that?!" she yelled at him, mad at herself for falling for the same trick twice in the same day.

"I don't think so," Ikuto answered with an amused look, "It's too much fun." and surprising enough to Ikuto, it really was. He thought he might get bored after a while, but no, he still enjoyed it. Especially with an audience to applaud him.

"Let's go Ami." Amu told her sister, taking her hand and pulling her down the sidewalk. Ami began to follow in step beside her, but not before telling Ikuto goodbye.

"Bye bye, Onni-sama!" she called back at him with a wave that made him chuckle, especially when he saw Amu's shocked expression, that held a distinct blush if he wasn't mistaken.

They kept walking away, and when they were out of sight from Ikuto she told Ami, "Ami, please don't call him that." she asked in a tone that suggested she was begging. Which at the moment may have been necessary. After hearing Amu laugh after being silent for so long, Ami now looked up to Ikuto for doing what she couldn't. Just like looking up to an older brother, unfortunately for Amu.

_Why did she have to call him that?! Doesn't she realize what that would have to mean?!_ Amu asked herself as they kept walking home. "Onee-sama. Your face face is really red." Ami stated seeing her sister's face that had been blushing from her thoughts, and with Ami pointing it out, only made her blush darken. "Thanks Ami."


	6. Name

_It's stupid!_

_Contagious! _

_To be broke and famous!_

_Can someone please save us_

_From Punk Rock 101?!_

_My dinky! _

_Your sweatpants!_

_My spiked hair!_

_Your new fans!_

_Let's throw up our rock hands_

_For Punk Rock 101!_

_~Punk Rock 101- Bowling For Soup_

"So this is what he meant." Amu said to herself standing at the entrance of the parking lot, twitching at the scene in front of her. She could defiantly tell which van was Ikuto's. It was kind of hard to miss being surrounded by giggling fan girls! Some how, she knew she should have expected something like this, but still, she was unprepared for it. She was just staring at these girls in amazement, "This is why he such a big ego." she muttered under her breath feeling herself begin to pulse with anger.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Amu turned her head slightly to see her friend Rima swiftly switch her gaze between her and the group of girls, "If they see you get into a car with their beloved boys and you can consider your life at Seiyo High hell for the next four years." Rima advised making Amu sigh in annoyance.

"Great." Amu muttered the complaint to herself under her breath, "What am I suppose to do now?" She knew she had to get in the van to get to band practice, but she didn't want to be seen by those girls. They got her to stay after school just from "bad mouthing" those guys, Amu could only imagine what they would do if they knew she was their new singer.

"I had a feeling you may have this particular problem." Rima told her with her monotone voice just staring at the girls in disinterest, "Follow me." she commanded Amu turning to walk towards the gymnasium, the only building close to the parking lot.

Amu followed her, unaware of what Rima was planning, at least she had an idea, Amu was on the verge of panicking before Rima showed up. Amu wanted to know what all the girls at this school saw in those guys. So she was willing to admit none of them were too bad to look at, but looks aren't the only thing a girl looks for. Tadase was a kind prince-like character, any girls dream guy. Nagihiko was a pure gentleman with consideration of others feelings, and could dance on top of that. Kukai was clueless, but in a cute lovable way and was an all around jock. Ikuto was the supposed bad boy type that was hated by all parents, which in turned made him more desirable.

_Now that I think about it, I guess there isn't really a reason why girls wouldn't go crazy over these guys_. Amu thought just as Rima stopped in the space between the boy's and girl's locker rooms. Rima looked between the two before walking towards the door marked with the symbol of a boy.

"Rima," Amu put her hand on the girl's shoulder just as she had her hand on the on the door, ready to push open. "Wrong room." Amu told her, gesturing with her thumb towards the girl's locker room.

"Not in this case." Rima answered simply pushing the door open and walking in. This of course was an action no one would expect of the school's angel. Amu knew Rima enough to know she was as sweet and innocent as she looked. She knew that Rima could get an attitude, and used it well. Although Amu did know Rima's sweet side too, that's how they got to be friends in the first place. She hadn't known Rima for more than five days, but she knew her better than other people anyway. Even then, she was surprised by her friend's sudden action.

"You can't go in there!" Amu complained kind of embarrassed for her friend for being in their.

"Why not?" Rima asked in her monotone voice again, as if this was no big deal, "All the boys are gone, so what's the problem?" It amazed Amu how she could be so carefree and bored with the situation, but she was also more curious than before on how entering the boy's locker room was going to help her in the slightest.

Rima waited, impatiently tapping her foot, for Amu to follow her. Reluctantly, Amu entered keeping her eyes veered towards the ground, slightly afraid to look up. "This should work." Rima said throwing something on Amu causing her to fall backwards onto a bench nailed to the cement floor. Once she was balanced again, she was about to glare at Rima, when she noticed what was thrown at her. A heavy jacket that was a few sizes too big for her.

"What's this?" Amu asked, confused on Rima's actions. She just noticed what Rima had been doing ever since they entered the room. She was going through different open lockers, pulling out different things, examining them, and then throwing them back into the locker where they came, "Uh... What are you doing?" Amu asked blankly staring at her friend, beyond confused on her friend's actions.

"Put that on." Rima commanded her throwing her a black baseball cap. "They're jealous of girls that hang around those guys, but not of guys that hang around them." It took Amu a moment to register what Rima was telling her. She stared at the jacket and cap for a second before staring back at Rima again. "You want me to cross dress?!"

"That would be the basic idea." Rima answered annoyed at having to explain her plan to her. "You already have jeans and sneakers on, all you need to do is hide your hair color and your upper body long enough to get into the van."

"This is insane." Amu answered in disbelief, not that this was the plan Rima had come up with, but that she knew she was going to do it.

* * *

"How long are we supposed to wait?!" Kukai asked to no one in particular waiting beside the van. He always hated the routine of getting into Ikuto's van, there were always so many loud girls around. He had often wondered why they all choose to meet each other in the senior parking lot in between the cars around theirs. The poor naive sap.

"Well, we can't just drive off without our singer, now can we?" Nagihiko answered keeping up his posture around the girl's especially. He had always been told to keep up a positive image around females, both for showing class and to indirectly promote his family's dance academy. Sometimes though, it was just too much to handle, and his irritated band mates surrounding him weren't helpful in the least.

"I know!" Kukai complained banging his head back against the black van, currently full of all their equipment. "I wish she'd hurry up though." he mumbled under his breath.

Ikuto nodded his head in agreement, scanning the crowd of girls for a hint of her presence. Then he noticed someone. A small girl, not far away from the crowd began to approach the group with another guy beside her. He recognized the girl that Amu was always talking to in the halls when he saw her pass. He thought they were friends possibly, but there's no telling with Amu.

He thought the guy walking beside her was her boyfriend or something, but he couldn't identify him. The guy looked as if he was trying to be conspicuous, with a heavy leather black jacket and a baseball cap, he even kept his face down as he walked. He wasn't much taller than any of the other girls in the crowd, and he seemed to stay close to that girl. There was something about him that seemed familiar to Ikuto.

It didn't hit him until the guy approached the van and stood right in front of them. "Let's go." the guy mumbled quickly as he gestured his head towards the van. It took them all a minute before they understood the situation. They all smiled wide trying hard not to laugh until they were all safely in the vehicle.

"Shut up!" Amu yelled at them taking off the baseball cap and throwing it at Kukai, who was practically rolling on the floor of the van.

"I-If we'd known," Kukai began laughing in between his explanation, "Oh, man, that was worth the wait!" he commented only laughing harder, receiving a kick from Amu, that failed to quiet his laughter.

"Sorry Amu-chan," Nagihiko apologized trying to stop his laughter, "But I actually thought you were a boy." at this, Tadase nodded in agreement as he stopped trying to hid his laughter. Even the prince, who was usually sensitive to people's embarrassment couldn't resist.

"Great." Amu commented sarcastically, who at the moment slid low in her seat, hoping she may be able to hide in the big jacket. It surrounded her like a shield or something. She really wanted to zip it up and hide in it until they shut up.

"I just didn't see you as the type of girl who had this kind of hobby." Ikuto commented as he drove down the street both watching the road and the mirror to see them all in the back.

"Shut up!" Amu shouted acidly at Ikuto, who only smirked with victory, "Just wait till one of you cross dress, and I get to make fun of you." Amu threatened just to make herself feel better more than anything.

"Yeah, when that happens." Ikuto answered teasingly to get a glare that went straight through his back, "If you're done with my jacket, I'd like it back."

"This isn't yours!" Amu told him

"Well, I left it in my locker at gym class and forgot to get it out, but I'm pretty sure that's mine." Ikuto replied cooly with a smirk, as if he knew what Amu and Rima had done. Amu tried to hide her blush with a frustrated expression as she removed her shell and threw it at Ikuto's head causing the van to swerve. Allowing the laughter to become panicked screams.

"Just kidding." Ikuto tried to calm them down from the scare of his prank, unsuccessfully with a hit to the back of the head from Amu, "Idiot! Your going to kill us!"

* * *

_**You think you're on top of the world**_

_**When all the eyes are on you**_

_**Just wait until your heart breaks**_

_**And you'll know how I felt when I wrote**_

...

_**This song goes out to girls**_

_**Who we haven't met just yet**_

_**This song for stupid girls **_

_**Who think that every boy is all about them**_

_**About them **_

Once the song ended Amu glared back at the band who were enjoying practice more than they should. "Why have I been singing songs with male singers all day?" Amu asked annoyed by their sense of humor.

"We thought you just wanted to be one of the guys." Kukai explained, hiding behind his drums once he saw the death glare coming towards him.

"That's good for now," Ikuto said putting his guitar on the stand, "You got anything to eat here?"

"Yeah, until my brothers get home anyway." Kukai answered walking towards the door that entered his house. They had been practicing in Kukai's garage since they arrived.

They all followed Kukai through his house and into the kitchen. Amu noticed it was much bigger than her family's apartment. Thinking about it, they were all probably wealthier than she was. She made a note to never invite them over to her place, the last thing she needed was more jokes about her between "the guys".

"Break time!" Kukai announced running into the kitchen and moving through the fridge, "You guys can go into the living room."

"His living room's the size of my first floor," Amu muttered under her breath as they all settled into different seats. Amu felt herself sink into their leather couch, Tadase seeming to have the same trouble beside her. Nagihiko settled in a chair that allowed him to keep his posture, Amu couldn't believe how he could keep that up all the time. Especially with Ikuto lounging in the chair across from him setting his feet onto the coffee table in the middle of them. "Now what?" she asked seeing all their bored expressions.

"You can play the game in the player!" Kukai answered from the kitchen surprising Amu with his hearing. Nagihiko, who also seemed surprised by the reply, went to Kukai's game system and turned it on. On the screen showed a soccer game.

"Figures." Ikuto commented seeing a sports game. He didn't think Kukai played any other games. "Who wants to play?" he asked grabbing one of the two controllers.

"I'll pass." Nagihiko answered, not being interested in sports games. "Me too." Tadase agreed, not so much about the game, but he knew he could never beat Ikuto in a video game, no matter what the game was.

"I'll play." Amu said sounding bored as she took the other controller.

"I'm not going to go easy on you." Ikuto warned her as he set up a two player game.

"Yeah, yeah." Amu answered bored with his attitude. She could only imagine what it would be like if she lost to him. Just that thought got her more in enthusiastic about the game.

"I got pizza rolls!" Kukai said entering the room just as their game began. "Who's playing?"

"Amu and Ikuto." Nagihiko answered watching them begin, both putting in hardly any effort. "That should turn out well." Kukai muttered sarcastically to Nagihiko. He knew Ikuto was just too good at these games, he didn't even have to try.

"You say something?" Ikuto asked Kukai looking away from the game for a safe moment, the ball being on Amu's side and a few defenders in front of his own goal.

"Nothing really- GOAL!" Kukai began only to be interrupted by the game that made them all look blankly at the screen. Apparently, in that moment, Amu had managed to score with a kick from half way into Ikuto's unattended goalie. They all shifted their glances to Amu.

"What?" Amu asked, mimicking Rima's monotone voice. She had always played video games with her dad ever since she was a kid, and she just managed to get good.

"That's cheating." Ikuto complained amused by her bored expression, as if she already knew she was going to win anyway.

"Not really." Amu responded with the same tone as the game started up again, only for Amu to score again with Ikuto being distracted.

"Oh, so that's how it is?" Ikuto asked with a smirk as he began playing with more enthusiasm himself. Amu couldn't help wearing a satisfied smirk of her own having gotten the upper hand on a game. Even if it was something this trivial, it could still mean she was better than Ikuto at something. The other members even got into the game, watching Amu score then Ikuto and everything, They had never seen Ikuto play someone that gave him a challenge, so it was interesting to watch.

About half way through the game, Amu decided to strike up a conversation, regarding something that had been on her mind for a while. "Hey, can I ask a question?" she asked keeping her eyes on the game. "Shoot." Ikuto responded not looking away either.

"You keep saying things about the band, but what's the band called?" Amu asked as the other members turned their attention to Amu. "What's the name?"

"Uhh..., about that," Nagihiko began to answer, slightly embarrassed for the other members in regard to the problem, "We don't have one." Kukai just blurted out before Nagihiko got the chance.

"You've been a band for awhile, and you still don't have a name?!" Amu asked in disbelief, most bands thought of the name before they even started playing. How were they supposed to get promoted if they had to refer to themselves as "the band"?

"Well, we tried thinking of one, but we could never agree on anything." Ikuto answered, he'd forgotten all about that detail, not having to need it for a while now. After Amu brought it up though, it started to bother him, along with the other members,

"Well, you might want to try again." Amu answered as if she were talking to immature children, which wasn't that far off.

"How about "The Fierce Cobras"?!" Kukai asked having the name just come to him. Even Ikuto and Amu paused the game just to stare at Kukai with Nagihiko and Tadase. "What?"

"I don't think so." Ikuto stated flatly just hearing that name. "You got anything better?" Kukai asked offended by them just staring at him, at least he came up with one.

"We could do like a statement, like "Fight the System" or something." Tadase suggested to get looks towards him himself.

"Ummm... I think that's a little-" Nagihiko began to explain rationally only to be interrupted by Ikuto who was just blunt, "Stupid." Nagihiko sighed, he never could get anything out around these guys without being interrupted.

"Better than Fierce Cobras." Tadase answered glaring at Ikuto, "Hey!" Kukai complained at Tadase pointing that out.

"What about a symbol?" Nagihiko suggested, thinking about other band names.

"What symbol would we use?" Ikuto asked to get his answer not from Nagihiko, of course, but from Kukai, "Oh! A cockroach with it's head cut off."

"What?!" Amu asked annoyed by the first thought that came to his mind, and why was it so disgusting anyway?

"Come on guys, focus." Ikuto tried to reason with them.

"Yeah," Nagihiko backed Ikuto up determined to finish his sentence, "We need something that shows what kind of music we play, and is both masculent and feminine." Amu shot him a look at the word feminine.

"And by feminine, of course we mean Tadase." Ikuto commented getting a glare from Amu and Tadase, "Hey!" they both complained in unison.

"No offense." Ikuto shrugged at Tadase, still glaring at him, "Taken."

"Come on man, it's nothing personal." Kukai tried to comfort Tadase with words, a failure from the start, "It's just your hair."

"What about my hair?!" Tadase asked getting offended by them using him as a joke, again.

"It's just so shiny." Kukai answered looking closely at the shine it reflect. Even Amu had to admit their was something girlish about it.

"Yeah, how do you do that?" Ikuto asked with his teasing smirk seeing Tadase's face full of rage. "Shut up!"

"Yeah, come on guys." Kukai said trying to defend Tadase, in a way, "We all know Tadase uses Sunsilk, now lets move on."

"I don't use Sunsilk!" Tadase complained hearing snickers from the members, even Amu couldn't help laughing slightly at the blonde boy's luck.

It continued like that for a good few minutes:

"Busted Locker?"

"Hotel For Losers?"

"Bullet Holes?"

"Dry Water?"

"Purple Pandas?"

"Oh my God!" Amu yelled after hearing name after name. She quieted them all who were just complaining about why the hell Kukai would think they should be referred to as "Purple Pandas?" "No wonder you guys are nameless."

"That's it!" Kukai announced with realization, "We should be called "Nameless" that's cool!"

"No!" they all answered in unison.

"Think a little guys, it's not that hard." Amu told them trying to get them to actually think about the name and not just blurt out random things that came to mind.

"Oh, well you haven't thought of one." Kukai defended himself. "So what do you suggest?"

"I don't know." Amu answered honestly, thinking, "Probably something that sounded so weird, it was interesting, like "Biting the Bullet" or something like that."

"That could work." Ikuto answered thinking about the name as he answered. It sounded like a band name, a little metal sounding, but not bad. Better than anything the rest of them had come up with. "Works for me." he answered shrugging.

The rest band just nodded in agreement, they just wanted the madness to end. Amu kept a confused look on her face as she heard another goal scored on her from the game. Some time during the fiasco, they had started the game again, and with that point, Amu had lost.

"That was cheating." Amu told Ikuto with a fierce voice. "I don't think so." Ikuto answered acting innocent with a smirk.

**A/N: Warning: Mild Rambling Will Occur To Whom It May Concern**

**Ok, This chapter cost me a buck to write, so you all owe me! I just spent over six hours at the public library on the computer, granted most of the time was spent reading other fanfiction (I've been depreived! :( ) **

**Well, anyway, I've gone to spend July with my grandmother, who lives far away from where I do. She also has no Internet connection. I want to know how the woman has every English Translated version of Naruto, Bleach, Death Note, and Ouran High School Host Club in her library, but no computer?! **

**I've have managed to introduce my grandmother to Shugo Chara, and now, she's addicted to it! She's trying to buy my manga off me and everything! Well, this is an announcement that she gave me a great idea for a new fanfiction and so I will develop it with her when I'm not writing this one. I will try to get this done as much I can while I'm with her though! **

**Also, the song Amu sings is "Boy Crazy" by New Found Glory and my grandmother came up with the name Biting the Bullet, so if you don't like it, she's going to kick your butt (her threat not mine). Enjoy :)! **


	7. Radio Star

_When I fall in love_

_I take my time_

_There's no need to hurry when I'm making up my mind._

_You can turn off the sun_

_But I'm still going to shine_

_And did I tell you why-?_

_~The Remedy (I Won't Worry) - Jason Mraz_

"Rise Against."

"Thousand Foot Krutch."

"Hawthorne Heights."

"Superchick."

"Superchick?" Amu asked in surprise at Kukai's choice band. They had been like this for about twenty minutes now. Amu, Kukai, and Tadase were all laying down in a circle in Kukai's garage. Keeping themselves entertained while they waited for Ikuto and Nagihiko to finish tuning their guitars.

A little over a week ago, Amu entered Seiyo High, and became the singer of a local band, that just happened to contain four of the most wanted guys in school. At first, Amu hated being in their band, because she thought they were all a bunch of freaks. Now, well... she still thought they were freaks, but in a tolerable way. She felt more comfortable around them. Not like a buddy-buddy relationship or anything, but they haven't killed each other yet. She could hang out with them, and with their weird humor, they were the only people that could get her to laugh. That thought kind of scared her sometimes.

"Hey! It starts with an S! We've used all the others!" Kukai complained as Amu and Tadase started laughing at his expense. With the radio blaring in the background this is what they referred as bonding.

"What are you three doing?" Nagihiko asked entering the garage with his guitar and an amused expression spread across his face. Seeing the three getting along was a nice change of pace, considering they haven't gone a day within trying to murder each other. Now, they were just laying on the floor staring at the ceiling, there heads barely touching as they played their game.

"Playing the band game." Tadase answered Nagihiko lifting his head enough for him to see the enjoyment on Tadase's face.

"How do you play?"

"It's easy." Kukai replied, seemingly pleased that he was able to teach Nagihiko something, instead of the usual other way around. "Someone starts by saying the name of a band. Then, whatever letter that band's name ended with, the next person has to think of a band that begins with that letter."

"Korn." Amu said, continuing where they had left off.

"Nightlives." Tadase answered keeping the pace. He looked at Nagihiko, inviting him to join in.

"Stanfour?" Nagihiko answered more like a question than an answer. Amu gave him a thumbs up in approval, making him give her his sweet smile. He was just happy she seemed to be getting along with them.

"What?!" Kukai protested at Nagihiko's answer, "We haven't used that yet?! Unbelievable."

"You don't know who they are, do you?" Amu asked confident she was right.

"Not a clue." Kukai admitted in defeat. "Uh,... Rehab." He answered trying to move past his outburst.

"Biting the Bullet."

"Yeah! The girl's got spunk! That's what we're talking about!" Kukai gave Amu a high five for her answer with his usual enthusiasm.

"What's going on?" Ikuto asked entering the garage, guitar in one hand, amp in the other.

"We're just-"

**If ToDAy wAs YouR LaST DAy aNd TOMoRrOW was tOO lATe**

**CoULd yOU sAy gooDbYE to yesTeRdAY?**

**WoULd yOU LiVE eAcH MoMEnt likE YouR LaST?**

**LeAVe oLd PictuReS in tHe PAst?**

**DOnaTE eVEry dIMe yOu Had? **

"Ahh!" They all complained covering their ears. That voice was bloody murder. They stared at the radio, as this screeching sound came from it. Kukai was tempted to grab his baseball bat and beat the thing silent. Of course, Nagihiko was there to take it away thankfully.

**"Wow. That sure was... something. It sounded a little too high for the song." **

**"Sounded more like nails scraping against a chalk board to me. Let me give you some advice, Momo from Tokyo, quit while you're young and save yourself the humiliation."**

"Hey." Ikuto said catching the conversation while everyone else had covered their ears. "Turn that up."

"You want to turn that up?!" Kukai asked amazed and in disbelief that he would request to relive that torture again.

"Shh!" Ikuto commanded, turning the volume up himself, "Just shut up and listen."

**"Ah yes, the polite radio host ladies and gentleman."**

**"I just tell it like it is."**

**"Well, if you're brave enough to get his criticism, then call us at 186-6091 and show us how you would sing Nickelback's latest hit song, 'If Today Was Your Last Day.' **

**"We're giving away a $100 gift certificate to the Tokyo shopping center located down town for the first singer to impress us." **

**"Now here's there song, and we'll be waiting for our next caller."**

"A contest huh?" Ikuto muttered to himself, thinking about the reward.

"You know," Nagihiko commented, seemingly reading Ikuto's mind, "There is a music store there that sells different equipment."

"Yeah, we could get some new stands and a new mike or something." Tadase added, understanding where this conversation was going.

"Plus, need I mention the awesome food court?" Kukai threw in with the thoughts of the different restaurants with a sudden craving for pizza. Even, he knew what was going on.

As if on cue, they all stared at Amu, who already knew what they were planning. "No way."

"Come on!" Kukai complained falling to his knees as if to beg, "You can get the first slice of pizza."

"We're not buying pizza!" Tadase told him in a stern tone, that he only used when talking to either Ikuto or now, Kukai.

"What? Why not?!"

"We're not wasting our money on something that stupid!"

"Oh sure, we can buy an expensive mike, but we're too cheap for pizza!"

"It doesn't matter!" Amu yelled at the two, who really cares about a pizza crisis? "I'm not doing it anyway!"

"Why are you always so stubborn?" Ikuto asked with a sigh, he knew she wasn't going to cooperate that easily.

"Why are you always so _persistent_?!" Amu asked with bitterness in her voice, the kind of voice that made Kukai remember how scary she could be. He swiftly hid behind Tadase, who at the moment was wondering whether Kukai's weird theory on all girls having an evil side was true or not. Nagihiko just shook his head at the two hopeless guys, who still knew very little about female behavior.

"It's one of my many lovable qualities."

"Oh, you have lovable qualities? I had no idea."

"Harsh." Ikuto commented putting a fist to his chest as if her insult had offended him. "Come on."

"I don't think so." Amu said folding her arms across her chest and turning around, to make the statement that the conversation had ended. It might have too..., with someone other than Ikuto.

"Come on Amu." Ikuto whispered with a seductive voice in her ear, making her blush and flinch in surprise, "Resistance is futile."

Quickly, she put her hand over his face and pushed him away, "Personal space please." she asked using her usual character, with a hint of anger and annoyance to help persuade him.

"Touchy." Ikuto commented with a smirk to her trying to use her attitude with a blush spread across her face.

"No, learning." Amu corrected him, happy with herself for causing that smirk to true into a confused arched eyebrow look, "Blow on me once, shame on you. Blow on me twice, shame on me."

"Ahh, is that so?" Ikuto asked, his smirk returning. This girl was kind of interesting to him.

While they were having their conversation, they were oblivious to the three confused looking boys behind them.

"Did we miss something?" Kukai asked, trying to think of what that statement was suppose to mean. And so far, nothing teen rated had come to his mind.

"Just, keep your mind out of the gutter." Nagihiko requested, kind of embarrassed that he couldn't think of a rational explanation for blowing on her. Nothing sounded right about that statement.

"You know I can get you to sing." Ikuto said with enough confidence to make Amu twitch in anger.

"Oh really?!"

"Yes, really. So are you going to come quietly, or do we have to do it the hard way?"

"Why don't you-" she stopped in mid insult, thinking about the hard way option. He had told her something similar to that back when he was trying to get her to join his band. That was right before she learned about his family's company, the place her father worked. She sighed in defeat. She felt like Ikuto's personal puppet with invisible strings. "Fine."

"I got the number." Tadase said pulling out his phone and dialing it before throwing it to Amu.

"Alright, I'm doing it, but don't get your hopes up guys, there's no guarantee I'll be the one-"

**"Hey, you're our next victim."**

There went her last hope of escaping.

**"What's your name?"**

"Uhh, Amu from Tokyo."

**"Well, Amu from Tokyo, do you consider your self a good singer?"**

"I guess."

**"She's lacking confidence. This is going to be a long song."**

Amu felt the sudden urge to punch the dude on the other line. Stupid sarcasm.

**"Alright kid, let's see what you got."**

Amu took a deep breath, and somewhat determined now to prove that guy wrong, maybe that was his plan for the show all along:

**If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late**

**Could you say goodbye to yesterday?**

**Would you live each moment like your last?**

**Leave old pictures in the past?**

**Donate every dime you had? **

**-**

**And would you call those friends you never see?**

**Reminisce old memories?**

**Would you forgive your enemies?**

**And would you find the one you're dreaming of?**

**Swear up and down to God above**

**That you'd finally fall in love if today was your last day?**

It was silent on the other line for a minute before they spoke:

**"Wow. That left me..., well speechless. You got one heck of a voice kid."**

**"...Not bad."**

**"Oh, now he has nothing to say." **

**"Uh-huh, well, Amu from Tokyo, you got to get more confidence. You got the voice of an angel, so start acting like you do." **

"Uh, Okay." Amu answered, feeling weird about their responses. She looked at the band for an answer, but they just shrugged.

**"Well, that impressed me, what about you Toshiro?" **

**"She'll do." **

"Yes!" Kukai shouted getting high fives from everyone, Amu rolled her eyes with a smile on her face. Sure, it scared her half to death to sing on a radio station where there were hundreds of listeners, but at least no one knew it was Amu Hinamori.

"Thanks for the ride guys." Amu thanked them once the van had stopped in front of her apartment, "Right Ami?"

"Right!" she answered sitting between her and Kukai. Ami had been playing with his earrings for half the ride there, fascinated by them, since Amu didn't have pierced ears herself.

"No problem," Nagihiko answered smiling, Ami had been playing with his hair, the other half of the way.

"We'll see you tomorrow." Ikuto added before she pulled Ami out of the van.

"Oh great," she answered sarcastically, setting her on the ground. She started waving frantically, "Bye-bye, Onii-sama!" Amu dropped her head and sighed, she was never going to give that up, no matter how much she begged.

"Later." they all answered in unison, Kukai waving a little back at Ami, making her smile wider.

"You're killing me Ami." Amu commented to herself, watching Ami bolt to the door after the van had driven away. "What do you want for dinner?" She asked having to unlock the door for her. Ami stared back up at her as if to ask 'Are you in a good mood or not?'

"Very funny." Amu commented opening the door and letting them in, "I guess there's some left over oniguri we could scarf down."

Just as she was thinking of what to use as a side dish, she heard the phone ring beside her. "Hello?" she asked into the receiver, no one had ever called their home phone before. Since Rima, and everyone in the band had her cellphone number, they just used that to call her. This was obviously someone she didn't know, or a telemarketer, either way it wasn't good.

"Hello. Is this the Hinamori residence?" the voice on the other line asked. Amu could tell the voice belonged to a male, but that was all she could decipher.

"Y-yes."

"May I please speak with Amu Hinamori?" He wanted to speak to her?!

"S-speaking." she managed to get out, with an extra gulp of air.

"Oh, yes, Miss. Hinamori, I've been trying to reach you all evening."

"Really?" what was he some kind of stalker, she swore she'd kill Ikuto if this was some kind of twisted prank. "I'm sorry, I've been out. What is the urgency?"

"I heard you on the radio earlier this afternoon," Holy crap. How'd he find me? "And, I'd like to make you a proposition."

"Proposition? What kind of proposition?" she was questioning this mans identity. The way he spoke made her determine he was someone older, with a higher sort of education possibly.

"One I can guarantee you will catch your interest."

"Well," Amu didn't like the sound of where this conversation was heading, "What is it?"

"That's what I called about," he began to explain, Amu could hear some papers being shuffled in the background, "I'd would prefer to speak with you in person, and show you more of the specifics."

Amu was kind of sketchy on this guy's character. After those years of elementary school telling her not to go anywhere with strangers, she wasn't dumb enough to just go with this guy somewhere. Then again, this may be an offer that she really would interest her, and she was curious about it.

"Would the Tokyo Shopping Center be alright with you? My Uncle owns a restaurant near there and it would be public in case that would worry you." Was this guy some kind of mind reader?! Or had he done something like this before?

"I guess that would be alright." Amu answered after coming over the initial shock.

"Would you like to meet me in front of the shopping center at around 6:30 tomorrow night?"

"Sounds great. See you then." Amu answered hanging up the phone and slamming it down on the charger. She sighed in relief, when she just remembered a very important detail. Amu looked over at Ami watching TV on the couch, laughing at the 'Bala Balance!'. "I forgot about you."

Ami turned her head towards her sister and cocked her head with a cute little six year old confused expression. How could she have forgotten about her little sister of all people?! She tried to think over he options. She could call the guy back and ask to reschedule, but she didn't have his number so that was impossible. The only other option was getting a babysitter. She thought of Rima, then she remembered Rima mentioned something about going away for the weekend, before Kukai pulled her away with his Running Dash of course.

That only left one option. She sighed more of depression than relief. Facing Ami, she put on her most convincing smile, "Hey Ami, how would you like to spend time with Onii-sama tomorrow?" she asked, seeing Ami's smile. Then she hit her head with the palm of her hand, "Great, now she's got me calling him that too."

**A/N:**

**Yes! I got this done before the librarian's have to kick me out! :P Well, the next chapter should be more... let's say entertaining. If anyone can guess who the caller was, they get a special rainbow cookie. XD Now I must bid you ado, as I go home to watch Twilight with my grandmother. And for all those who called my grandmother cool, they get one of her cookies, and those are the best! :P **


	8. Misunderstandings

_So what I'm not your average girl?_

_I don't meet the standards of this world?_

_Chasing after boys is not my thing._

_See I'm waiting for a wedding ring._

_~Average Girl- Barlow Girls _

"You have my number, and if anything happens you call me, you got that?!" Amu insisted for the hundredth time between getting ready and giving instructions on how to take care of Ami, since she didn't trust anyone watching her, not even her father.

She had managed to find something suitable to wear on this occasion. A nice pair of black kapries that she had to dig through her closet to find, she was just relieved they fit. Then she just went with a long sleeve pink t-shirt, under black t-shirt that read 'Strong Chicks Rule' in pink writing across the chest. Of course, she couldn't find any good shoes, so she settled for her black pair of converse shoes. She even did her hair, in a way, brushing it out and putting two of her pink punishment clips in to keep her hair both down and out of her face. All put together while talking to her babysitters.

"Would you relax a little?" Ikuto asked watching her go back and forth, with Ami sitting on the couch beside him, watching her sister move with speed. This was the first time she was leaving Ami with anyone in a long time.

"Yeah, between the four of us watching her, what could happen?" Kukai asked lounging on a chair, relaxed by the easy job. How difficult could it be to watch a six year old?

"Plenty." Amu answered, not in any mood to tolerate these four, but had no other options. First, she had to ask Ikuto for this favor, and of course he had to make it where she was practically begging. After explaining some details for watching Ami, he thought he'd call in some reinforcements. Amu didn't argue, having four people watching Ami was better than just one. Just the way they got distracted bothered her though, what if they just let Ami run off?!

"Have you no faith in us?" Kukai asked in a melodramatic way. Amu glared at him before grabbing the nearest object, a unopened water bottle, and chucking it at Kukai's head. Not expecting something to be thrown at him, he didn't have enough time to dodge it. It hit him right on his forehead causing him to fall out of his chair and hit the floor head first. "A simple no would have satisfied."

"Don't mess with me right now." Amu warned them before knocking on the wall to the steps to signal to her father he needed to hurry up.

"Leave it to us, we won't let anything happen to Ami." Tadase reassured her sitting on the couch on the other side of Ami.

"Nothing better happen to her, or so help me, I'll murder all of you." Amu warned them with a threatening look in her eyes. If they thought she was kidding, then they were in for a rude awakening when she got angry enough.

"She'd do it too." Kukai told Tadase as if Tadase was the one that should be worried about the threat. Well, he at least had enough sense to know she could murder them. He just needs to worry a little more himself.

"And I don't think we'll have a problem getting along with one another." Nagihiko added out of pure amusement. Ami had ended up climbing on to Ikuto's shoulders and was resting her shoulders on his head. It was quite a sight. A cute little six year old girl sitting on top of a seventeen year old boy that happened to have a reputation of being the school hottie and bad ass.

"I never knew you had a way with kids Ikuto." Tadase commented in spite of himself, it was just too much to handle. Kukai stayed quiet, except for the laughing they were all doing. Even Amu offered a light giggle for the first time that night.

"Neither did I." Ikuto commented moving his head back to look up at Ami just as she was moving her head forward to look down at Ikuto. At that, Amu couldn't help but laugh, that was such a weird combination.

"Alright Amu-chan I'm ready to go!" Her father came down just in time to catch his daughter laughing at something. That shocked him more than anything. He quickly recovered, his smile wider than before. He was so relieved his daughter seemed to be doing better. "Have the sitters arrived ye-" He began to ask walking down the steps, only to fade off once he noticed the four boys in his living room.

"Papa!" Ami greeted him with a wave, while sitting on the shoulders of a strange looking boy he didn't know. By the looks of him, he didn't want to get to know him.

"Yeah, they're here." Amu told her father in a bored tone, after seeing her father's blank expression. "Guys, this my dad." She introduced him to the group, hurry to get out before any questions were asked.

"Hey Amu's dad." they all replied in unison, in different tones to express their enthusiasm. Meaning Kukai was the loudest. "Ready to go?" Amu asked her father before grabbing her coat off the couch, where she had thrown it earlier.

"Umm, Amu, can I see you in the kitchen for a second?" her father asked still dazed as he walked like a zombie to the kitchen. She followed after him, after taking the option of running away into consideration, knowing it would be pointless.

"What?" she asked, pretending to not know what this was about. Maybe she could get a few more moments of spaced out dad before he snapped.

"What?! What are all those boys doing in my living room?!" There went that hope. Amu's father was one of those fathers that had a hard time letting go, especially with boys in the mix. Amu saw this coming, and her father's added tears didn't help anything.

Amu sighed before beginning her long explanation, "It was short notice, and Rima's out of town, so there was no one else I could call."

"Who's Rima?"

"She's my friend from school."

"So instead, you choose some random boys that had nothing better to do than take care of my six year old daughter?!"

"I do know them dad. I'm in a band with them."

"... In... a.... band? With them?" her father asked confused. He had no idea his daughter was in a band. And worse, a band full of boys, that were in a band! And she trusted them to watch Ami?! "Why don't you tell me things any more Amu-chan?! I have no idea what's going on in your life!"

"That's because you react this way." Amu answered with a sweat drop. She loved her father, but there were times he was just too embarrassing for her to handle. This being one of those times. "Don't worry, I know they can handle watching Ami for a few hours." Amu smoothly lied to her father. No sense both of them worrying.

"Fine." he answered, still teary eyed and pouting. Honestly, sometimes he was worse than Amu when it came to acting his age. He left the kitchen still looking hurt, making Amu sigh with exhaustion, and she hadn't even left the house yet.

"We're gone guys." Amu said putting on her denim jean jacket, heading towards the door.

"In a minute Amu." her father called back to her, suddenly peppy attitude standing in front of the confused teenage boys. "I want to meet your friends. Like your name...., and further background information."

"Dad!" Amu warned him with a stern voice she was forced to use with him every now and then. Just like telling a child no.

"Alright, just names." he offered with Amu slumping her shoulders in defeat. There was no way around this.

"I'm Kukai." Kukai answered being the only one oblivious to the tension in the room.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Nagihiko." he said with his usual class when acting as a gentleman. Amu was grateful for that at the moment.

"I'm Tadase, I'm in a few of Amu's classes." he told her father with his usual charm.

"Ikuto." Ikuto answered with a nod of his head, and Ami giggling behind him. At the moment, she thought Ami was the only thing that would keep Ikuto decent.

"Let's go dad." Amu commanded before he could pry them for any more information. She had to drag him out of their apartment to do so. "Bye." the guys said in unison, until the ghost was clear.

"Alright kid," Kukai started, staring at the blank expression on Ami's and Ikuto's faces, "Time for bed." As her response, Ami just stuck her tongue out at Kukai, "Hey! Don't give me that!"

"Come on Kukai, have a heart." Nagihiko pleaded teasingly, not even a six year old would listen to him. "It's only six o'clock after all."

"What are we suppose to do with her then?"

"Don't you know anything about kids?!" Tadase asked with annoyance in his tone, "Idiot!"

"Like you know any more than me, hypocrite."

"Uh, guys, let's try to calm down." Nagihiko tried to get peace among the group, but

"Hungry shrimp?" Ikuto asked Ami as he walked into the kitchen away from the bickering. "Yeah!" she answered with an excited tone, still sitting on his shoulders as he went walking.

"Anything to eat here?" he asked, looking through the fridge. "Oniguri!" Ami told him, pointing at a blue container that supposedly contained the oniguri.

"You sure you want that?" he asked teasingly, as the six year old tried to reach for the container. "I don't know, if your sister made it we might want to order in." Ikuto commented opening the container and smelling the food, to make sure it was edible. He took a piece out and cautiously took a bite, judging whether or not they should eat it.

"This is... really good." Ikuto answered, he hadn't expected it to be good. Amu didn't strike him as the type that could cook. Ami reached out for a piece, and Ikuto just handed her the one he had taken a bite out of. A six year old could get excited about the simplest things.

"You stupid idiot!"

"Damn know it all!"

"You think this will shut them up for a while?" Ikuto asked grabbing the container and some drinks, they could hear those two arguing from in the kitchen. He assumed Nagihiko gave up trying to settle them down. Ami shook as her answer, no. Ikuto chuckled lightly making his way out of the kitchen, "Well, we're going to try."

Tadase and Kukai were on the verge of throwing punches, when the two exited the kitchen. "Hey! Bweak it up!" Ami yelled at them, getting their attention. All the guys stared at her, as she started smiling and eating her oniguri. That was when they could tell Ami was related to Amu.

"Anyone hungry?" Ikuto asked throwing the drinks and food on the small table in front of the couch. They all dug into the food, and began to simmer down.

"You know, now that I think about it," Tadase began thinking out loud as a realization hit him, "Amu never did tell us _where _she was going." They all thought about that for a moment. She told them everything on what to do while watching Ami, and how to reach her. She just never told them any details on what she was doing that she needed a sitter.

"I wonder what she's up to." Nagihiko commented trying to think of what Amu would do. Nothing came to his mind.

"Onee-sama's on a date!" Ami exclaimed, happy to know something they didn't. They all nearly choked on their drinks and oniguri.

"Little kid said what?" Kukai asked, wondering if he just didn't hear her right. Did she just tell them Amu, their Amu, the scary Amu, the Amu that wanted nothing to do with people in general was on a date?! Ami just nodded her head, not really understanding all their shocked faces.

"Can you tell us what you know?" Ikuto asked, feeling somewhat pathetic, trying to persuade a six year old to give him information.

"Shopping Center. Popostion!" Ami answered from what she could remember Amu telling her, and what she had heard eavesdropping on her sister's conversation, just like a true younger sibling.

"Popostion? Is that code for something?" Kukai asked, not understand her speech.

"I think she means proposition." Tadase explained plainly, not bothering to get into another argument with him.

"What kind of proposition?" Nagihiko asked.

"I don't know."

"What are they doing in the shopping center?" Tadase asked.

"I don't know."

"Who was her date?" Ikuto asked.

"I don't know."

"Dang kid, what do you know?" Kukai asked, still not understanding he was talking to a little kid.

"6:30. Dinner." Ami told him what she remembered.

"So we paste it all together, and get what?"

"I would guess, meeting at Tokyo Shopping Center at 6:30 in order to go eat to discuss some kind of proposition." Nagihiko guessed from what he had gathered from Ami's pieces of information.

"What would be a date proposition?" Tadase asked out of curiosity, still in shock she was on a date in the first place.

"Maybe becoming 'an item'," Kukai suggested, putting air quotes around an item. It was hard to believe that Amu was going out to get a boyfriend the night they were stuck watching her sister. "She works pretty fast." Kukai added wondering what type of girl she really was.

"Hmm..." Ikuto thought for a moment. He couldn't image who she would be out with, and even less who would be her boyfriend. This, struck his curiosity, "You guys know what we have to do, right?"

They stared at him for a moment, before they figured out what he was saying. "Oh yeah!" Kukai answered with a mischievous smile across his face. These were the kind of things he loved doing.

"I'm game." Tadase answered with Nagihiko nodding in approval as well.

"Let's head out men." Ikuto commanded as they went for the door, only to be stopped by a very important detail. "Hey!" Ami yelled at them, they went to go, forgetting they had a little responsibility.

"Oh yeah, we forgot about her." Ikuto commented, scratching his head, trying to think of what to do now. "I guess someone's going to have to stay with her."

"Well, since I apparently have no clue how to take care of children, I guess I'm out." Kukai went ahead and told them. This was one of the few times he got to use an insult to his own advantage.

"She likes you best Ikuto." Tadase pointed out trying to get out of it.

"I'm the brain of the operation, -"

"We're doomed." Kukai threw in his comment while he was a good couple feet away from him.

"And, I'm the one with the car keys."

"Well, have fun Nagi." Kukai said beginning to leave, only to be grabbed by the collar by Nagihiko.

"I refuse to have any part in this."

"Then I guess there's only one other thing to do." Ikuto said glancing over at the innocent looking kid.

"How am I suppose to know who this guy is?" Amu thought out loud, glancing at her watch every so often at her watch. It was almost already the scheduled time for them to meet, and when she went to search for him, she realized there was no way to find him. She didn't know what he looked like, she didn't even know his name.

She decided to wait patiently on a bench in front of the water fountain. If he wasn't there after fifteen minutes, she would just leave. Or maybe go shopping, she did have four sitters at home watching Ami, she might as well take advantage of them. She was going to be pissed if this was all one big joke, someone was going to pay.

"Hinamori?" Amu looked around after hearing her named called to see someone standing in front of her. A boy, that didn't look any older than she was, with dark green hair and prescription glasses. There was no way this was the guy on the phone, maybe it was someone from school she didn't recognize. "I'm sorry for any inconvenience on this arrangement, but I couldn't hold off on this meeting." ...Then again, what guy from her school would want to talk to her anyway?

"Uh, n-no there was no problem." Amu reassured him, still in shock that this was the man from the phone. She wished her home phone had caller id.

"I'm Kairi Sanjou." he told her with an out stretched hand.

"And, you know me." Amu responded shaking his hand and standing up.

"Indeed." he nodded in agreement. He seemed so grown and serious to Amu, no wonder she expected him to be older than he was. "I'm sure you're hungry by now. Shall we?" he asked holding his arm out to act as a proper gentleman.

"Sure." Amu answered taking his arm, not sure what else to do really, and followed his lead through the crowd of people.

"This is Soccer dude. Target is on the move. I repeat the target is on the move."

"Soccer dude?"

"Copy that Princey."

"Kukai, knock it off."

"No can do Black Cat. We got to stay conspicuous. Right Dance Queen?"

"That's not what I meant by conspicuous. I don't code names are necessary."

"I thought we needed something that told a little about ourselves, you know-" Kukai began to explain only to get hit in the head by Ikuto, Tadase, and Nagihiko. They had put him in charge of watching Amu with the binoculars, but the code names were something they weren't going to tolerate.

"Focus a little Kukai." Ikuto tried to get back the concentration of the situation, "You and Tadase get ahead of them and keep an eye on them that way. Nagihiko and I will tail them. When they stop, we both stop, got it?"

"Got it." Kukai answered with a salute, "Remember kid, conspicuous."

"Conspicuous." Ami mimicked, pushing her sunglasses up on her eyes. She remained on Ikuto's shoulders. There was no way they could leave her on her own, so... they had to bring her along on their little mission.

Kukai and Tadase ran ahead, in order to get in front of Amu and her date. Ikuto, Nagihiko, and Ami stayed behind, close enough to see them, but far enough they couldn't see them. They never had an opportunity like this before, and curiosity clouded their better judgement. They wanted to figure out who this guy was, and how him and Amu could get along enough to date.

"I wonder." Nagihiko mumbled to himself, thinking over his first suspicions.

"What?" Ikuto asked curious. Nagihiko usually kept his thoughts to himself unless he was thinking over something he couldn't figure out.

"Well, this sounds more like something Kukai, and maybe Tadase would be into." Nagihiko started, by Ikuto's blank expression, he himself wasn't sure what he was getting at, "I didn't think you'd be into it that much."

"What do you mean?" Ikuto asked now really curious, but sounding like he didn't care.

"It's just, I thought this would be something you would just go along with, but you're the one that came up with it."

"What's your point?"

"I'm not sure. I guess I'm just wondering, why exactly. You're not usually into anyone's personal matters, you actually try to stay out of it. I'm just wondering why you're so curious about Amu's date. Or really, just Amu in general." Ikuto stared blankly at him for a minute, not sure what he was implying by that analysis. Ami on his shoulders even cocked her head at Nagihiko.

Nagihiko smiled at the two. They were different, but also the same. It reminded him of how Ikuto and Amu were together. They did nothing but bicker at one another when they were around each other. The thing was, the way they acted around one another was completely different from how they act around everyone else. Around everyone else, they were both were more stand off, with cool attitudes that didn't want to be bothered by other people. When they were together though, Ikuto would tease her, Nagihiko never would have taken Ikuto for the type that just messed with girls, but that would get Amu out of her shell enough to yell at him.

Even though Nagihiko noticed it, he was sure no else did, not even Ikuto and Amu. Maybe it was nothing, but then again... "Maybe I'm just reading into this too much."

"Maybe." Ikuto answered confused at this point.

"Food!" Ami yelled at them, pointing forward. Ikuto and Nagihiko looked forward to see Amu and that other guy enter a restaurant.

"Oh, this should be fun." Ikuto commented with a smirk continuing forward.

**A/N:**

**Success! I found Internet connection at my grandmother's house, unfortunately, it's on the roof. I had to fight off birds and squirrels, not to mention keep my balance on her roof. I'm just glad I finally got this done, and try take tips from Hiwiwy and hopefully update faster! So yay! :P**


	9. He said, She said

_If I live to be a hundred_

_And never see the seven wonders_

_That will be alright_

_If I don't make it to the big leagues_

_If I never win a gramme _

_I'm going to be just fine_

_Cause I know exactly_

_Who. I. Am._

_~Who I Am - Jessica Andrews_

"... This is the restaurant your uncle owns?" Amu asked in amazement. This was the most expensive place she'd ever been in, and she was wearing clothes from last year she dug out from the bottom of her closet!

"Yes, it's one in a chain, but this is the first created." Kairi explained, seemingly unimpressed by the place, well, maybe unimpressed compared to Amu. She was looking around the place excitedly, from the white table cloths to the waiters wearing gloves.

"He has more than one?!" Amu felt more like she was dining with royalty than getting a business offer. She tried to calm down and get her attitude back under control, but she was just so excited. "If I had known we were eating here, I would've worn something more formal."

"That's not necessary. Usually when someone dresses in a casual attire, the outfit says more about their character than if they were prepared for certain circumstances." Kairi explained while waiting for someone to seat them.

_So..., that's casual for him?_ Amu thought to herself, analyzing his outfit. Sure, a typical white button up shirt with khakis and a tie no doubt, this guy must be the wild and crazy type. "I see."

-

-

"Man, fancy digs." Kukai commented to everyone staring at awe at the place. Kukai assumed they were going pretty steady if the guy took her here. "This place looks more expensive than my house."

"Well, now what?" Tadase asked, it was obvious they weren't getting through the front door, not they way they looked.

"We go in." Ikuto answered with a smirk, having already thought of a way around the issue.

"How? We can't exactly walk in." Tadase reasoned with Ikuto, who he had a feeling was thinking of something stupid.

"Maybe not through that door," Ikuto answered pointing towards the front entrance, "But, that door looks like it has lower standards." Ikuto explained pointing to a back entrance that said 'Employees Only' across it.

"Can't you read?" Tadase asked, knowing it would be stupid, "We don't work here."

"Well, we'll have to be extra careful then, won't we." Ikuto commented with a smirk as he started walking towards the door. They looked at one another and shrugged before following Ikuto to the door.

Ikuto opened the door a crack to see where the door went. It looked like it would take them to the kitchen, and they'd have to take another door to get into where the tables were. He nodded at the guys and gestured with his hand for them to follow his lead. The four teenage boys, and the one six year old, crawled army style under the tables through the kitchen to remain unseen.

Until a waiter dropped a bowl on the ground, when he bent down to pick it up, he saw something he didn't expect to see. People that had been crawling under the table stopped and stared at him, with the same blank expression he stared at them with. What the hell were they doing?!

He was about to say something when he was shushed by a little kid, "Keep quiet." she told him with a finger over her lip to silence him. He just stared at the kid before gaining back his composure, or as much composure he could muster kneeling under a table to talk to people crawling under said table.

"What are you doing in here?"

"We... got lost on our way the bathroom." Kukai answered thinking of a lie quickly. An unconvincing one however, and the waiter showed it with his stare that was suggesting he thought of murder at the moment.

"We're looking for onee-sama." Ami answered honestly with a convincing six year old smile. Who could say no to a face like that? He looked over the four teenage boys questioningly. "And, you four?"

"We're the babysitters." Tadase answered with everyone else nodding in agreement.

"And, how's that working for you?"

"Better than being a waiter." Kukai answered just to strike a nerve.

"Just, get out the kitchen."

"Got it." Kukai answered again, with a nod, they all stood up and walked out of the kitchen and into a room filled with tables, soft music, and good smells. "That was easier than expected." Kukai added with the others sighing in relief and nodding to agree.

"Where are they?" Tadase asked looking around the room for their pink haired friend. "They're still waiting to be seated." Nagihiko pointed out at the two talking at the entrance. On instinct, the four ducked behind the closest table and peeked over it, just enough to watch the two.

"Now what genius?" Tadase asked Ikuto sarcastically. Sure, they could see them, but so what? They were too far away to hear anything, so what was the point. Plus, if she caught them spying on her, she'd kill them all for sure. Especially since they brought Ami along with them. Ikuto watched a waiter approach the two.

"Scatter, one of us is bound to end up close to where they're sitting." Ikuto explained with the guys shrugging in agreement. Ikuto saw them begin to walk to their table, "Now!" The guys went everywhere, looking for a place to hide. Nagihiko snuck into a plant that was big enough to hide him, and was near a few empty tables. Tadase, who was planning to hide in the plant himself, looked for another spot, panicking he dove under on of the empty tables and curled into a ball. Ikuto went behind an open doorway to another room of tables, with Ami deciding to hide behind his leg. Kukai, who couldn't find another spot, followed Ikuto to the doorway.

They all watched, with the exception of Tadase who just waited, Amu and her mysterious "boyfriend" walk with one of the waiters to an empty table. And, with their luck, it just happened to be the table Tadase was hiding under, and Nagihiko was in the plant near.

"Great," Kukai commented sarcastically, "Now we can't leave until they do." he complained, putting his binoculars to his face to observe them more closely. Trying to read their lips, as he pulled out her chair for her. She smiled at him politely and took the seat and nodded a thanks. "I think he's trying to put the moves on her." Ikuto and Ami just stared at him and then went back to the two at the table.

"So..., just out of curiosity," Amu started once they were seated and comfortable, enough, "How exactly did you get my phone number?" it was something that had been bothering her for awhile, and if her number was on a bathroom wall or something she wanted to make sure no weirdos would call her, not that she really thought Kairi was a weirdo or anything.

"I think she asked him he wanted to go home." Kukai told Ikuto with his translation of Amu's words. "Maybe he's boring conversation, he looks like it." Kukai added focusing in on the two again.

"I have my sources." Kairi answered with a cool attitude, Amu noticed, and a mysterious vibe that Amu wasn't buying. "Plus, the phone book was rather useful." Kairi added learning that vague answers were not going to satisfy in this case.

"He told her she was hopeful."

"Oh, I see." Amu answered with a nod, that was the most logical explanation, but somehow, she had managed to look past it. "But, I don't remember saying my last name on the radio."

"She said, 'Do you think we could turn up the stereo?'."

"No, but I recognized your voice, and I remembered your last name from Takio Middle School choir." Kairi explained pushing up his glasses.

"He said he thinks he might change his name to Takashima."

"Huh?" Amu asked confused by that. How did he know where she went to middle school and that she was in choir? "How did you-"

"I live in Takio, and remembered you from school." he explained noticing her surprise that he knew who she was. He wasn't surprised that she didn't know who he was, it was only logical she wouldn't.

"She said, 'What?! I like-' then he cut her off and said, 'I was just kidding'."

"Sorry," Amu apologized slightly embarrassed, here this guy was, an old classmate of hers, who could even recognize her voice, and she didn't even remember seeing him in class, "I don't remember you."

"She said she was sorry she overreacted."

"I didn't expect you to, I was never in any of your classes, and I am two years younger than you."

"He said it was alright he didn't think it was funny to her."

"What?! Your still in middle school?!" Amu couldn't believe it. On the phone she thought he was an older guy, then she thought he was her age, and now he was two years younger than she was. How did that even work. "Are class rep or something?"

"She said, 'What?!' and was offended that he thought she couldn't take a joke."

"Yes, but I don't see what that has to do with anything."

"He said that yes, but he still loved her all the same."

"Just curious." Amu added slightly embarrassed again. She was getting nervous and pulled on her hair. She felt dumb already around him. He looked like the smart kind of guy that was good with things like computers or something, that made it hard to make any kind of small talk.

"She said she loved him too. They're pretty serious." Kukai told Ikuto who was staring at him like he was insane. "What?"

"You can't read lips, can you?"

"I get close enough." Kukai defended himself looking into his binoculars for an instant, "Yeah, she's into him."

"How do you know?" Ikuto asked annoyed by Kukai for making assumptions.

"Because, she messing with her hair and biting her lip. Girls do that when they're into a guy." Kukai told an unconvinced Ikuto, "Nagihiko told me so." Well, if it was Nagihiko, then the theory was another thing. Ikuto looked over at Amu, who was looking nervous.

"We got to get closer."

"Huh?!"

"We got to hear what they're saying."

"I don't need to hear them, I can see what they're saying."

"Yeah, no offense, but you're lip reading skills aren't that reliable."

"Well," Kukai added, turning his back to Ikuto and crossing his arms, "I see how it is. I can't be trusted to translate for the love birds- OW!" Ikuto hit him on the head before he could say anything else, and then started looking around for a way to get closer. Kukai looked at Ikuto confused for a moment. Why had he hit him, and why did he hit him so hard?! Sure he knew that Ikuto could beat him to a pulp if he wanted to, but they were friends. That was really hard hit, and he didn't even know what he did!

"Got it." Ikuto said to himself with a smirk, he had found a way. "Coming?"

"Yeah, yeah." Kukai said quickly recovering from before and crawled with Ikuto to wherever he was going. Then he saw what Ikuto did. A cart of food, with a white covering on the bottom that left whatever was underneath unseen. Ikuto opened the curtain to see there was nothing underneath.

"Nice." Kukai said with a smirk of his own, that was quickly swiped off his face when he heard someone cough behind them to get their attention. They turned their heads around slowly to see the same waiter from before. Now Kukai wished he hadn't said anything about his job. "Where is that bathroom?" Kukai asked looking around as if he were really looking for the bathroom.

"What are you three doing?" he asked, not buying into Kukai's act, he wasn't an idiot, even though he thought they were.

"Come on man!" Kukai complained, didn't this guy have anything better to do than bother them? Like maybe his job? "Can't you see we're on a stake out here?!" the guy just stared at him as though he were insane.

"Anyway, you could help us get over to that table?" Ikuto asked pointing to where Amu was sitting. The waiter looked between them and the table. "Not likely."

"Ten bucks?" Ikuto bargained, getting the man's attention. "Twenty."

"Deal." Ikuto agreed and looked at Kukai, "Pay the man."

"What?! Why me?!"

"Because you're the one who pissed him off to begin with." Ikuto answered and Ami nodding her head in agreement. Kukai grumbled and pulled out a few ruffled bills and handed them to the waiter he now despised. After the three hid themselves under the cart, the waiter pushed it towards the table.

"I suppose you're wondering by now what I called you here for." Kairi suggested once they had ordered their food and had their drinks on the table. Amu nodded perking back up in order to listen closely. "Excuse me," a waiter approached them and asked, "I'm sorry, but would you mind if I left this here for now?"

"Not at all." Kairi responded then went back to Amu, "Now, I believe you have a remarkable talent with your singing, and I believe you could go places."

"What'd he say?" Kukai whispered to Ami, who was leaning out just enough to hear what they were saying but still remain hidden.

"Remarkibe. Go plwaces."

"Palaces?" Kukai asked confused about her going to royalty.

"Places." Ikuto corrected, understanding the six year old's language.

"Thanks." Amu told him, having an idea on where he was going with this.

"My sister is a manager for the company Easter, and she herself believed you could be a hit."

"Beweived."

"But weed? What weed?"

"Believed."

"I see," Amu answered wishing he would stop beating around the bush, "And how is that relevant?"

"Well, I've recently decided I would follow in my sister's footsteps, in the career field to become a manger. I called you, offering a few ideas."

"Offvering."

"Onion ring?"

"Offering!"

"Man, we need a better translator!"

"What kind of ideas?" Amu asked, curious, but not getting her hopes high enough she may agree to whatever he was planning. She knew better than that.

"There are a few places in the area that are looking for musical performers in order to bring in business. If you're interested, I could show you who's hiring and help you get a gig so to speak." Kairi explained his recent research to the girl that was blinking in interest.

"And, why would you help me do that?"

"Something about helping do that. What would _that_ be?" Kukai asked himself as he eavesdropped, replacing Ami. Who was ignoring them for the moment, helping herself to a large chocolate cake that wound up under there. "Huh?! Where'd you get that?"

Ami pointed up and Kukai realized they were under the dessert cart, but he was on the side Amu was on now. He couldn't reach up for something without being caught. "Hey, can I have a piece of that?" in response, Ami stuck her tongue out at him and stuffed another forkful into her mouth, "Why you little-"

"Would you focus?" Ikuto asked getting annoyed by Kukai's ADD. "What are they saying?"

"As I told you before, I want to follow my sister in her career choice, so I've been seeking out talent for awhile now. I had forgotten about you, until I heard your voice on the radio. I contacted you in an offer to become your manager for your own career." Amu was stunned, he was offering to help her with her career?! A career that didn't exist, and would never exist! She was about to tell him so, when she thought of something. She remembered Ikuto telling her that they never thought of a name because they never had a gig to play, so there was no point. Sure she didn't want to sing as a career, but she didn't know if maybe one of the guys wanted to play an instrument as their career. If she turned Kairi down, she may have thrown away an opportunity for one of them, and that, she felt she didn't want to risk.

"I think he said he's been seeking her out, and never forgot about her. I think he knew her from her old town maybe?" Kukai told Ikuto what he heard, wondering if Amu was really into this guy. He looked like some kind of computer geek or something, and she was more of the punk type. How did that relationship work?

"It sounds great, but the thing is, I'm kind of in a band." Amu told him trying to decide how to get this offer in a different way. Once he heard the band, he'd definitely think they had talent, so everyone would win.

"She said it sounds great." Kukai said thinking to himself, "You think _it _and _that_ are the same thing?" Before Ikuto could comment on it, Kukai put his hands up in surrender, "I know, I know, concentrate."

"Really?" Kairi asked actually interested, he hadn't expected her to join a band. When he thought of Amu Hinamori, he thought of the girl in choir, but she did have a stand off kind of attitude. Maybe a band was a fitting choice for her character.

"Really what?" Kukai asked himself more than told them. This was getting confusing on many different levels.

"Yeah. They're really good with their instruments, I'm just the singer, but I'm sure the band has the talent you're seeking."

"Really good and has the talent you're seeking." what did she mean by that?

"What are you suggesting?"

"She's the one suggesting?!" Kukai asked appalled, nothing pure was going through his head at the moment.

"You could manage the band instead, if you want to."

"If he wants to, of course he wants to, he's a guy!" Kukai was getting angry just listening to it, and Ikuto wasn't any better off. He glanced down at Ami with her big cake and smirked, "Hey munchkin, think I can have a piece?"

Ami looked up at him with a grin, her face covered with chocolate and nodded excitedly. She gave him a piece that was already sliced in the cake, Kukai stared at her for a second, "Oh sure, give him a piece." he complained before getting back to the lovers conversation.

"Hmm, interesting." Kairi thought it over for a moment, he'd still be helping Amu, and if she somehow couldn't make it, then he had a chance with any of the members in the band. Plus, he was just curious to see what the band could do, "Sounds like a plan."

"Interesting and a plan?! What is wrong with her?!" Kukai added, wondering how Amu could be the one asking and suggesting these things, just before turning to Ikuto who was trying to do something, "What you doing?"

"Keep listening and wait for it." Ikuto answered with a smirk, with Kukai going back to the conversation with a confused expression.

"Great! I can't wait to tell- Oh my God are you alright?!" Amu asked as she watched Kairi just get hit in the face with some kind of chocolate dessert. It just came out of nowhere.

"I'm fine." Kairi answered taking off his glasses that were now covered in chocolate and tried to wipe them off with his napkin.

Kukai was confused for a second, until he risked a peek at the scene. He had to keep a hand over his mouth to keep him from laughing out loud. "That's one to do it." Kukai told Ikuto with a thumbs up. Ikuto smirked, satisfied to have ruined the moment in the manner.

Amu had no idea where the hell that came from. The dessert cart was right next to them, but it wasn't like someone walked by and threw something at Kairi. Then, Amu noticed it. The white cloth curtain moving, she glared at it by instinct before she reached down carefully and grabbed the cloth. Then she suddenly pulled it back fast, to see what she feared. Ikuto, Kukai, and Ami stared up at her, with blank expressions. "Sup?" Kukai asked, as if this were normal.

"What are you doing?" Amu asked putting a smile on her face, which at the moment, was scarier to them then any death glare she could give.

"We... were heading to the band store." Kukai panicked a little with his lie. They were screwed.

"Oh," Amu said as if she understood, "You mean to the one in the mall?"

"We came for the bread." Ikuto added with Ami nodding to back him up.

"Uh huh." Amu responded, obviously not believing a word they said. Then she felt something moved under the table. She did a quick kick and hit something that responded with an "Oww!"

She pulled the cloth up from under the table to see Tadase rubbing his sore ribs. "Get out!" she commanded with a stern voice, which he obeyed like a scared dog. "You too Nagihiko!" she yelled, knowing he was somewhere near. Sure enough, he emerged from his plant and joined the others.

"We may have come for the bread! But we stayed for information!" Kukai yelled at her, melodramatic of course, determined to let her know they knew what she was up to.

"Oh, so you heard all that?" Amu asked surprised, how long had they been there? Ikuto was surprised that she didn't look embarrassed or anything, as if none of that bothered her.

"Yeah! So we're here to protect you!"

"Huh?" Amu was confused by what Kukai was saying, and he was way too loud.

"Alright, Ikuto you hit him high, and I'll hit him low." Kukai stated before getting into a fighting stance, ready to start beating this guy to a pulp. He didn't care if they were going out, or if Amu really liked this guy, he wasn't going to let her make this kind of mistake. Plus, when was he going to get another opportunity to beat someone up with an excuse?

"What are you talking about?" Amu asked, beyond confused at this point. Was he on some kind of medication, or was he always this emotional?

"What are you talking about?" Kukai asked, dropping his fists, just as confused as Amu was.

"I'm talking about how he offered to be our manager." Amu answered as if it were a 'Duh' question. How well were their listening skills. All four of them looked confused, none of them could hear the conversation well, of course they all had different ideas on how it went, so none of them knew what his offer was.

"Manager?" Tadase questioned, he thought that he was just making small talk above him, or whatever people talk about on dates. He didn't pay attention well, having to dodge their feet from hitting him.

"So, that what what your meeting was about?" Nagihiko asked, just to verify they weren't dating, in which case he would have to tell Ami to listen more carefully when eavesdropping.

"Yeah."

"How come we weren't invited?" Kukai asked, suddenly becoming offended. Amu wanted to hurt him so bad.

"Because, it was originally an offering for Amu." Kairi explained still trying to get the chocolate off his face, "I had some openings for her, but when she told me she was in a band, she suggested managing it. Now, I suppose I have a few performing options for your band."

They stared at Kairi in disbelief for a moment, before Kukai put that goofy grin back on his face, "Alright! You're the man, Mr. Manager." Kukai told Kairi putting his arm in a kind of head lock and punching him lightly in the rips.

"Hooray!" Ami exclaimed with joy, throwing her hands in the air with excitement. Amu smiled at her sister, with her chocolate covered face and cute smile.

"Ami." Amu said shaking her head still smiling. She grabbed her napkin off the table and bent down to Ami's level, "You're face looks like Kairi's." Amu told her giggling, when she noticed something. Her face did look like Kairi's, covered in chocolate from some kind of dessert, which could easily been thrown at someone from under the dessert cart. Amu glared at Kukai and Ikuto. Feeling her glare, Kukai let go of Kairi and pointed at Ikuto, "He did it!" he said really fast and then retreated to behind Nagihiko.

"Thanks Kukai." Ikuto mumbled, now having to faced a pissed off Amu. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" Amu yelled at him, standing up and getting up in his face. She still hated the fact he had to look down at her. "This is a nice place! You don't go throwing food around in here! How old are you?!"

"I don't think I ruined the restaurant, I didn't miss his face." Ikuto answered with a shrug and a smirk, "That's what you get for not telling us what you were up to."

"What?! You're going to follow me and tell me this is my fault?!"

"Well, you didn't have to let that dessert cart stay by you're table, you'll get fat if you eat that stuff."

"Why you-"

The four guys just watched them bicker for a while with blank expressions. Until Nagihiko broke the silence with a question, "What exactly did you two think they were talking about?"

"Well,.." Kukai started, trying to figure out how to explain it all, "It started with her liking him, then something about onion rings, and somehow we got the idea they were talking sex."

"I beg your pardon?" Kairi asked with the same confused look Nagihiko and Tadase were giving him.

"Well you kept saying doing _it_, and doing _that_, and, well, you try listening to something under a dessert cart and tell me if it's easy!"

Nagihiko went over some thoughts in his head, before a smirk appeared on his face, "Hey, Kukai."

"Huh? What?" Kukai asked, with a bad feeling about the smirk on his face.

"I think it's time for another experiment."

**A/N:**

**I'm still alive :) thanks to all those who care! I now have a 70s beanbag to sit on, with my grandmother's cat, Yoru, protecting me from the little creatures... with my lunch as payment. Well, thanks for all the reviews^^ I'm glad people like my story! :P **


	10. Experiment, Test, and Surprising Results

_I've been locked inside that house all the while You hold the key_

_And I've been dying to get out and that might be the death of me_

_And even though, there's no way to in knowing where to go, promise I'm going because_

_I gotta get outta here_

_I'm stuck inside this rut that I fell into by mistake_

_I gotta get outta here_

_And I'm begging You, I'm begging You, I'm begging You to be my escape_

_~Be My Escape - Relient K _

"No way! I refuse!" Kukai complained for the hundredth time that morning. Nagihiko had arranged for Kukai and Tadase to meet him in the computer lab before school began. They were alone, and Nagihiko was trying to explain his experiment the them, if Kukai would shut up long enough for him to get a sentence out.

"Come on Kukai." Nagihiko tried to persuade him politely first, then he'd move to threats if necessary.

"No! Every time you use me as one of your lab rats, nothing good ever happens to me!" It was true, Kukai had participated in many of Nagihiko's experiments before, and... well, let's just say last time there was a small fire, on Kukai's clothes.

"What exactly are you testing?" Tadase asked curiously, he had never been asked to help in an experiment before, so he wasn't sure what to expect. By Kukai's reaction though, he didn't set his hopes too high.

"Let's call it, animal behavior." Nagihiko answered thinking of the best way to describe it, without giving his intentions away.

"Animal behavior? Like rabbits?" Kukai asked, suddenly perking with interest. Animals were fine with him, but... maybe he should not get involved with animals in case Nagihiko ended up making them attack him or something.

"Not exactly," Nagihiko admitted, relieved that Kukai was starting to listen to him, "Though they're as dumb as rabbits," he muttered under his breath low enough to not be heard.

"Then what?" Kukai asked, just as confused as ever when it came to Nagihiko's little experiments. He'd say a bunch of technical stuff he didn't understand and then do something that ended badly for him. He knew the drill by now.

Nagihiko smirked at the question, this would definitely get their attention, "I was thinking of testing, Amu." The other two grew their eyes wide. Was he suicidal or something? If it wasn't for Ikuto's sacrifice of distraction, she would have murdered them. Now he wanted to do something to tick her off, even more than she was already with them. "Huh?" was the only thing they could get out.

Nagihiko was enjoying himself now, he had spent some time thinking about what he was going to tell them. All he had to do was be persuasive enough for them to buy it and help him. "I just want to see if anyone can draw out Amu's inner self, so to speak."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, we all know Amu isn't, well-"

"Girly?" Kukai suggested, that being the first thing that came to his mind when he thought of a tough Amu that could, and was on the verge of doing so, murder him.

"I was going to say feminine, but you get the idea. I noticed last night she had some "girly" actions when she was nervous, like biting her lip and playing with her hair."

"Hey, I noticed that too." Kukai said proud that he was on the same page as Nagihiko.

"I didn't see much of anything." Tadase answered thinking back to when he had to hide under the table.

"Well, I want to try a controlled experiment to see, how the male species affect Amu's behavior." He read their confused expressions and tried to elaborate more on the idea, "Like, would you expect Amu to be someone who got flustered around guys?"

"Not really." Kukai admitted, he knew girls that hung around him all the time, and Amu was nothing like them. When he tried to imagine Amu as cute and bubbly and screaming all the time, he kind of shuddered at the thought.

"Well, when she's in her environment unaffected, she's the Amu we all know and love. Yet, if we add in our own independent variable, it's likely to cause a change in her as a dependent variable."

"I kind of get what you're saying," Tadase responded nodding his head thinking about how much of a change she really would go through.

"Makes me kind of wish I hadn't slept through most of Biology." Kukai commented, actually finding a use for something he had learned in the class, well, Nagihiko had learned really.

"Alright then, here's what we do-"

"No." Kukai said before he could explain, "This is even more dangerous than before because we're dealing with Amu, so forget it!"

"Fine," Nagihiko said with a smile, no more playing nice, "I heard that World Civilization's test is going to be killer tomorrow. I'm glad I took all those notes, I'm going to need them. What about you Kukai? Don't you need to do well on this test to play on Saturdays game?"

Kukai glared at him, in defeat. He had him, and he needed Nagihiko's help to pass his test. "You win this round." Kukai said with a nod of respect.

"Wait, why isn't Ikuto here?" Tadase asked after trying to remember a time she ever acted girly. He could only think of her yelling, and it was usually at Ikuto.

Nagihiko was afraid they'd ask that, but he was prepared all the same, "He's not going to participate."

"What?!" Kukai asked upset that he was the only one that was off the hook, "Why not?!"

"Because he's harder to persuade than you two are." they both looked at each other and then at Nagihiko, seeming rather offended by the honest comment. "Plus, he only makes Amu mad and start yelling." they couldn't argue with that, that was just a fact.

"So," Kukai started hoping to hurry and get this over with, "What do we do Dr. Fujisaki?"

-

-

"The band got a manager?" Rima asked surprised by all Amu had already told her about her weekend, with a mysterious phone call, the guy's offer to help with her singing, and mostly the fact that the four hottest guys in school were tailing her all the way.

"Yeah, after all the chaos and insanity, he still agreed to be the manager." Amu explained, sighing from exhaustion over the long weekend. Things used to be simple for her, before she transferred to Seiyo High anyway. "Did you forget your lunch?" Amu asked suddenly noticing Rima wasn't eating anything.

"Yes, I was in a hurry this morning." Rima explained brushing her fingers through her hair out of habit.

"Do want some of mine?" Amu had prepared her lunch the night before in an attempt to get all the leftovers out of the fridge. Nothing really went well together, but she thought Rima would want something at least.

"That's alright, I'll get my own." Rima assured her before clearing her throat, "I seemed to have forgotten my lunch today, now I have to go without eating." she said with a voice that sounded as if she were tearing up, Amu almost believed she was crying.

"TAKE MINE! PLEASE! DON'T WORRY! YOU NEED TO EAT!" Suddenly the table was surrounded with a group boys, all offering Rima some lunch. Rima picked the one she preferred and with an angelic smile thanked the boy. He looked as if he were going to faint.

Amu stared at her until all the boys had left and Rima began eating the lunch she was given. "How do you do that?" Amu asked amazed by how she had all those boys wrapped around her finger.

"Years of practice and manipulation." Rima explained to Amu who looked at her in disbelief, "But, I thought you said he lived in your old town." Rima asked getting the conversation back on topic, and away from her.

"Yeah, but his sister works here, and he's going to be staying with her for awhile." Amu explained focusing back on the band. They all gave her such a headache, and with their stupid spying, she felt the need to murder them. "She's a manager at Easter."

"I see, does she work with your father?" Rima asked to receive a shrug from Amu, "No clue, I never really ask him about work much." Amu thought for a moment people shrugging again, "I'm not going to ask anyway, the last thing we need is Ikuto manipulating more people."

Rima looked at Amu questioningly, how could she dislike someone so much? It was always something, he was annoying, he was a jerk, he was a pervert, after listening to her for so long, she had to queston the "heart throb's" character. Before, all Rima knew of Ikuto Tsyumio, was that he was any girl's fanasy cool bad boy type, so she'd heard. Being rich was an added bonus. Now though, Rima had to think he was, well, like any other annoying perverted teenage boy. Though, Rima just had to wonder why he bothered Amu so much? He'd never said more than two words to her, and she was apparently the school angel (not that she really cared if he spoke to her or not), so why does he mess with Amu so much?

"Just out of curiousity," Rima started perking Amu's attention as she used a softer, almost concerned tone, instead of her usual monotone when talking about something that bored her, like this usually, "But, has Ikuto ever threatened to fire your father if you didn't do what he told you to?"

The question stunned Amu for a moment, before she really started thinking about it, "He's implied it, but, no not directly," Amu admitted when she remembered his way of winning their arguments.

"From what you've told me about him, isn't Ikuto kind of an idiot?" Rima asked it as though it were some obvious fact, a statement that would get her hurt by any near by fangirl, but being at an outside lunch table, a good hearing distance away from everyone else, her opinion was safe.

"Yeah?" Amu asked more than stated, where was she going with this?

"Then wouldn't you think he wouldn't be able to come up with something like that?" Rima asked again, as though it were obvious. Amu gave her a questioningly look, until she heard the sighs of many love sick females. "Hello Amu-chan." Amu turned around ready to glare at whoever approached them, when she eyes got wide with confusion. Tadase was smiling down on her with his lunch in his hands.

"Tadase?" Amu asked wonder what he was thinking. Why had he come over to where she was sitting with Rima? Didn't he know how much attention he was bringing to the table, especially when she was trying to hide the fact she was in a band with at least one guy every girl in school practically worshipped?! "What are you doing?"

"I came to join you, do you mind?" Tadase seemingly charming. Amu had never seen this side of him before. Sure she heard girls call him a prince and sweet and everything, but being around him while he was around Kukai and Ikuto, they caused most of the charm to disappear. Now, he looked like he was shining. Amu felt her cheek tint a light pink color just looking at him. She knew he was cute when she first met him, now with this added charm, he seemed more handsome than cute. Amu looked away annoyed that he was bothering her acting that way, and gain back her usual composure, "I guess not."

"Thank you." Tadase responded pleased with himself for catching the blush. He sat down beside Amu feeling Rima staring at him questioningly, "Hello Rima-chan." he greeted her, but it won him no approval. Rima had always been a hard person to please, and it was worse for him in this case, because she was also suspicious of him. What was his motives in joining them for lunch? Plus, she was annoyed that now she was going to have to put up with girls coming up to her and asking about her amazing lunch with the school's prince.

-

-

"And... what was so important I had to see it during my free period?" Ikuto asked Nagihiko annoyed by having to follow him to see something that was a "surprise"... and Ikuto wasn't buying it.

"We're almost there, don't worry," Nagihiko assured him with his usual smile, which seemed a bit more decieving than genuine to Ikuto.

Nagihiko gazed around the room looking for his accomplish at work. He wanted to make sure Ikuto got a good look at him, but by accident, he could already tell Ikuto was getting susupicious. Good thing Kukai and Tadase didn't know what was really going on. "Oh, is it freshman lunch this period?" he asked casually as they began to walk past the courtyard where all the lunch tables were, including the one he was searching for.

Ikuto gave Nagihiko a questioning look, what did he care about the freshman lunch? He noticed Nagihiko glancing over to the tables ocassionally, with what seemed to be a surprised and pleased expression. "What are you staring at?"

Nagihiko smiled at Ikuto and pointed with his thumb over to the table as he continued walking forward. Ikuto glanced over to see his freshmen band members sitting together, enjoying their lunch. This struck Ikuto as odd, he thought Amu didn't want people knowing she was in their band, so why was she eating lunch with Tadase. Not only that, but just the way they were enjoying each other's company. They were sitting beside each other, Tadase smiling at Amu while appearing to tell a joke that made Amu laugh. They seemed to be somehow connected, Ikuto didn't even know they talked outside of regular band practice.

"Our young ones seem to be getting along rather well." Nagihiko commented, snapping Ikuto out of his trance, he hadn't noticed he had stopped walking and was staring at the two, but Nagihiko sure did. He smirked to himself, making a mental note of the subject's response.

"I guess." Ikuto shrugged and began walking again, seeming to care less, as he passed Nagihiko and continued forward. Nagihiko smirked behind him, making another mental note. Strike One.

-

-

"I hate gym." Rima complained to Amu with a pant, as they continued running laps around the track. Amu wasn't a fast runner, but Rima was even slower than she was. She was happy to keep at her pace though, and grateful to her friend for not being a star athlete.

"I know." Amu agreed with a nod. Focussing back on the track ahead, to her surprise, most of the girls were behind them. Amu glanced back to see a lot of girls just barley jogging while they gawked at the field the track ran around. "What are they looking at?"

"The one only upside to this torture." Rima answered pointing at the soccer field that happened to have the boys soccer team practicing on, not the best choice practice time during the _girl's_ gym class. The boys were playing shirts versus skins, for some reason, the school would have jerseys for them if they needed them. Amu saw most of the girls were on the verge of fainting looking at the soccer boys playing shirtless. Rima rolled her eyes at the pathetic girls, but Amu couldn't help looking over at the boys. They seemed to be somewhat focussed on the game, most of them were just flexing their muscles at the girls trying to impress them.

Among the soccer players, Amu noticed a brunnete haired boy that looked rather familiar. It wasn't until he turned her way did she realize it was Kukai. He looked different than he usually did. He was playing on the skins, and she noticed he was toned and tan. Plus he was glistening with sweat, but she could tell it was him from his goofy grin he gave her when he noticed her running. He waved at her once the ball was safely on his opponents side of the field. She could feel herself blushing a little, since he had his shirt off and she noticed his muscles, and waved back sheepishly as she continued to run at a quicker pace as an attempt to get away.

Rima stared at her back for a moment shifting her gaze between her and Kukai. Rima caught his smirk before getting focussed back on the game, which rose her suspicion. First, Tadase chooses to sit at their table just because, and now Kukai was waving at her like they were great friends. Well, Rima expected them to be pretty good friends at this point, and that this shouldn't be anything unusual. Until of course she noticed the three other band members on the bleachers looking bored with themselves. That's when she knew something was going on.

-

-

For Tadase it was a free period, Nagihiko managed to smooth talk his way in and out of the nurse's office, and Ikuto was skipping class as a way to avoid his math test; what else to do other then watch their good friend Kukai at practice? That's what Nagihiko insisted on anyway, with Tadase unusually agreeable with him. That left Ikuto with no other option, well, other than go to class, which he couldn't do. How convinent it was that Amu happened to be in the middle of gym class at the same time. It was hard not to notice Kukai and Amu waving at each other every time she ran another lap.

No one commented on it though, not until near the end of class and Kukai beckoned Amu over. They seemed casual, maybe having a light conversation with mild humor from their smiles, leaning against the low fence that seperated them. "What's up with them?" Ikuto asked after the long silence. "I thought she wanted to kill him."

Tadase just shrugged with a light smile playing on his lips, "Who can say?" Ikuto looked with an arched eyebrow, now he could tell _he_ knew something.

"Young love blossoming?" Nagihiko suggested with an amused smile along with Tadase light laughter, "Yeah, _sure_." he commented sarcastically. Ikuto seeming to ignore them for the moment, and focusing on Amu and Kukai, without any expression. Nagihiko added another mental note satisfied with himself. He was so close now.

-

-

"Amu, do you like alternative music?" Rima asked appearing at Amu's locker at the sound of the final bell. Amu was shocked both by her just popping out of nowhere and that she would ask that question.

"Yeah, I guess so, why do you ask?"

"I didn't," Rima answered with her usual tone and expression as if it were normal, but Amu looked at her confused and so she explained, "Some guy in my class asked me to ask you. Apparently he has some CDs he has to get rid of."

"Oh, really?" Amu asked still confused as to why she would care to deliver the message, Rima wasn't one to do something that seemed too troublesome. "Who?"

"His name's Kyo, and he said, if you're interested, to just met him outside the gym after school."

"And you're just telling me this now?" Amu asked with a sweat drop at Rima's casual attitude. Amu sighed before grabbing her books and clothes to change into, "I'll see you later Rima." Rima nodded her good bye and Amu took off running in the direction of the gym.

"Amu-chan!" Amu stopped and turned around to see Nagihiko at his locker beckoning her over. Amu gave him a confused look before walking over to him, "Where are you off to?" he asked curiously, since he was vaguely sure she wouldn't be running to the van or anything.

"I got to meet a guy about some CDs before I leave," Amu explained glancing at the clock on the wall to see she had a few minutes before the guy would leave, "I'm going to be a little late to the van."

"Don't worry, we'll wait on you." Nagihiko assured her with friendliness, "We wouldn't get much practice without our singer there."

"You guys practiced without a singer for a long time."

"Sure, but we got distracted all the time. Now with you keeping Ikuto and Kukai focused, we get more done." Nagihiko told her laughing lightly remembering the past few practices where Amu used violence as a way of communication. Amu smiled with him, her cheeks a light tint of pink from the memory. She like Nagihiko's smile, it always seemed genuiene, and with his hair, it made him look just like a girl (she would never tell him though, it seemed like a compliment to her, but she wasn't sure what he'd take it as). She still thought he was a bit on the insane side, or at least hung out with too many insane people to appear sane, but it was just hard not to like Nagihiko.

"I'll meet you at the van in a few minutes," Amu said her goodbye taking off before she ran out of time. Nagihiko waved at her back as she ran off. It wasn't long until he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Nagi, my friend."

"This can't be good." Nagihiko comment with a casual tone, but he wasn't liking the fact that Ikuto had him in his grasp.

"Let's chat." Ikuto said with an amused tone and expression as he turned Nagihiko around in the opposite direction, "I'm talking to you two behind the lockers as well." he added making Tadase and Kukai appear in the hallway with bafulled expressions, "How does he do that?!" Kukai asked retortically more just to voice a complaint. They were all pushed into the nearest abandoned classroom, Ikuto being the last person inside, shut the door behind him.

"Are we really going to chat?" Tadase asked a little apprehensive to hear the answer. The last time Ikuto said he wanted to "chat" with a guy, he barely made it out alive. "I just want to say, I was forced to do this. I wanted nothing to do with it." Kukai said as his last defense, just in case this ended badly.

Ikuto didn't show any emotion that showed anger, in fact, his face was emotionless as he shifted glances between the three of them. "Alright I'll bite, what are you three up to?"

"It's a secret." Kukai answered putting a finger over his lips hoping that Ikuto would leave it at that. Of course Ikuto wasn't buying it, and just looked directly at Nagihiko, who he believed to be the brains of the operation (really it wasn't like there was anyone to choose from). "Explain." Ikuto commanded still looking directly at Nagihiko.

He sighed in defeat, before gaining back his composture, with a smile, answered, "Just a mild experiment."

"_Experiment_?" Ikuto questioned as if he had never heard the word before, but unfortunately for him, he had. He knew about Nagihiko's experiments, and how he always managed to get Kukai involved. This was the first time Tadase was included as well. Ikuto assumed that this must be over something big and important if he needed three people to operate it. "What kind of experiment?"

"Amu's animal behavior." Kukai answered confidently with a nod. Everyone else just looked at him with a confused expression, "Not exactly." Tadase commented making Kukai glare at him.

"What then?" Ikuto asked looking at Nagihiko again with a glare that was to say, _Answer me and be careful what you sa__y_. "We were testing Amu's behavior around other people to see if her behavior changed."

Ikuto gave his a confused look, "I just wanted to see Amu act girly." Kukai said as a way it simply to reason for the experiment, Tadase nodding in agreement.

"I see...," Ikuto said trailing on his words, "Now, what's it really for?" he asked giving Nagihiko the same glare.

"We just told you-" Kukai started before Ikuto interrupted, "Haven't you learned by now? He never tells you what the experiment's really for until after you do what he tells you to." Kukai mouth dropped open a little as he gawked at Nagihiko, this information was new to him.

"Is that true?!" he asked with Nagihiko looking away and whistling suspiciously, to conclude the answer was a yes, "Why don't you tell me these things?!"

"Because," Nagihiko started with a sigh, "You can't keep a secret."

"What?!"

"And,-" Nagihiko continued, "For situations like this." he answered pointing at Ikuto. Ikuto kept looking at him, waiting patiently for an answer. "It is over animal behavior," Nagihiko began to explain, "Just..., not Amu's."

"Wait!" Kukai interrupted looking at him in confusion, "We weren't testing Amu?" Nagihiko shook his head as a reply, "Then what what were we doing all day?!"

"Testing, someone else's behavior," Nagihiko explained still feeling Ikuto's stare. "Who?" Ikuto asked not as anxious as before, now he at least knew most of what was going on. Nagihiko just shrugged, "Not important anymore really."

Ikuto looked the three over one last time before feeling satisified enough, "Alright, lets go then."

"We'll have to wait a while on Amu," Nagihiko added as they began to head towards the parking lot.

"Why?"

"She's...," Nagihiko started before thinking of one last test, "Meeting someone outside the gym. She wouldn't tell me much, but I think it's pretty important to her."

Ikuto nodded continuing forward. "We don't have all day. I'll go hurry her up." Ikuto said before heading towards the gym, "Meet you by the van."

"Alright." Nagihiko answered, smirking at Ikuto's back, "And we're back." he mumbled under his breath while the three amegoes kept walking towards the van.

-

-

"Amu Hinamori?" Amu heard someone ask her name when she was just beginning to look for the person Rima was talking about. She saw a boy she recognized in a few of her classes, she assumed this was Kyo.

"Kyo?" she asked just to make sure. He nodded to answer her question and she began to approach him. "Rima told me you had some CDs you were giving away."

"Yeah," he agreed digging through his bag and began pulling out a few CD cases, "They're mostly just mixes of different bands, most are alternative though. Rima said you were into music, so I thought you might want them." he explained handing her the mixed CDs.

"Why are you giving away mixed CDs?" Amu asked curious, she had thought they were albums he got as a gift but didn't want or something. These looked like CDs he mixed together himself.

"I have all those songs saved onto my computer, so I don't need the CDs anymore." he explained with a shrug, "I didn't know many people that had the same taste in music as I did."

"We have the same taste in music?" Amu asked not sure she could agree or not.

"Look through and see." he tempted her. She looked down on the CDs to see that they had some of the songs written on the top of them with blue Sharpie. She smiled at recognition of a few of the songs, Going Under, The Bird and The Worm, Swing Life Away, Stranger, Be My Escape, She Will Be Loved, and laughed at one, "Girl All the Bad Guys Want?" she asked accusingly, he grinned playfully with another shrug.

"What can I say?" Kyo started with Amu laughing lightly, "Hot, bold, confident, badass, I'd say she's my type."

Ikuto was searching for Amu, and he found her... with some guy laughing like they were good friends or something. He saw the mixed CDs in her hands. Even though Amu didn't notice, he could see that looking her over, checking her out. He didn't understand why, but he felt compelled to do something. Why?

"Well, thanks for the music," Amu thanked him politely putting the CDs in her bag, "I got to go."

"Hey." he said, stopping her from running to the bathroom to change, "I was wondering, if tomorrow..., you and I could-" before he could finish, Amu felt herself being lifted off the ground and tossed over a familiar shoulder.

"What the-?!" Amu complained trying to get out of Ikuto's grasp, which she still failed to realize would be impossible for her to do.

"Come on, we got practice, remember?" Ikuto told her and started to walk off. Amu tried hitting his back, even though it was a useless effort of escape, she felt better just to hit him anyway.

"Hey!" she heard Kyo shout at Ikuto in protest. Ikuto turned around enough just to face him, to give him a glare that could as if suggesting it was best for him just to shut up. He had enough sense to do so, and give a look of terror, which made Ikuto smirk with amusement, as he turned around and continued walking.

"Stop tossing me around like a sack of potatoes!"

"You weigh about as much as a sack of potatoes, why not?"

"Ikuto! Put! Me! Down!"

"Yeah, yeah, or you'll murder, blah blah blah."

It wasn't until they made it to the van did realization hit Amu. She never changed into her disguise. Reluctantly, she looked at a group of girl's shocked faces. None of them looked angry pursay, but none of them looked to happy either. Come tomorrow she'd find out what will happen, once they've all recovered from shock. She felt like murdering Ikuto at that moment.

"Wow. You really meant it." Kukai commented as Ikuto put a still squirming Amu down on the ground.

"Let's go already." Ikuto complained getting them to file into the van, all except Nagihiko who was wearing a suspicious smirk at that moment. Ikuto turned to him with another confused expression, "What?"

"Oh, I just discovered my theory was correct." Nagihiko explained his smirk still playing on his lips.

"What do you mean?"

"My subjected proved that a certain emotion of theirs could trigger another, causing mild action without thought." Nagihiko explained giving Ikuto a look, "Want to know who my subject was?" Ikuto didn't say anything, but Nagihiko took it as a sigh to continue, "It was you."

"Me?"

"Yeah," Nagihiko answered with a shrug, "So..., what was my theory?" Ikuto looked at him in confusion as he thought about what they were doing all day, his own behavior, and... Amu. Realization hit him hard! Like a ton of bricks hard. Nagihiko wasn't testing Amu, but him towards Amu. They were trying to make it appear she liked them when Ikuto was around. Then with that last guy. Nagihiko was trying to test Ikuto's behavior when Amu was around other guys, and it was how Nagihiko had predicted it would be... jealousy.

"You sneaky little bastard." Ikuto managed to say, unfazing to Nagihiko's triumphant smirk. Oh how many cards he held, and how he could manipulate Ikuto with them. This was a sweet victory, and a miserable defeat for Ikuto. "You better pray I don't "accidently" crash into something on your side on the van."

"I guess I'll sit next to Amu then." Nagihiko commented before sliding into the van, hoping this realization could bring a little excitement to their lives.

**A/N:**

**Whoa! Long chapter, I'm exhausted XP! Well, I wanted to just get this all in and hurry and update! Sorry for the long wait, I was on vacation with the family, and most of the places we stayed at had no WiFi. Plus, I was on vacation, and I just can't focus on the beach! I'm back home (I've never loved typing inside more than I do now!), but I have to start school (a new high school no doubt) tomorrow XP so I can't update very quickly (I will do so as fast as I can though), because I am one of those annoying people that actually like to study and learn things (yes, feel free to call me a geek). I really love science, as you may be able to tell from the whole experiment thing. This chapter is a bit confusing, but bear with me, the next one will be MUCH better, because the band's going to have some fun! XD Thanks reviewers! You keep me writing, and I know you deserve better chapters, so I'll work at it! :P **


	11. House of Horrors

_If you want to_

_I can save you_

_I can take you away from here_

_So lonely inside_

_So busy out there _

_And all you wanted was somebody who cares_

_~All You Wanted - Michelle Branch_

Amu had to force herself to trudge to school this morning. They had seen her! The girls that had enough power to keep her after school plus almost all the girls in the rest of the school. Rima had called last night advising her to stay home sick, because the word of her getting into the van with the four hottest guys in school had spread around the whole damn school! Ikuto was so dead the next time she saw him. Now, she was in front of the school, she felt her legs go numb, refusing to go on. She just took a deep breath and went in.

She just tried to look like she didn't care about anything, oblivious to everything that happened yesterday. People were staring at her and whispering things to each other, just like the first day of school, but this time, she _knew_ they were talking about her. Of course, she wasn't sure what they were saying exactly, she just assumed the worst. It wasn't until she got to her locker did she figure out what they were all talking about.

When she got to her locker, there were about five girls there, just staring at her. Amu shot them a look before beginning to open her locker, all of them _still_ staring at her. After a while, she just couldn't take it any longer. She glared at the girls before asking, "_What do you want?_" almost threatening.

"So Cool!" they all shouted in excitement. Amu couldn't help but drop her attitude and stare at them. That wasn't the reaction she was expecting.

"She's so cool!"

"No wonder she can hang out with all four of them!"

"She's even in the band!"

"She must have an awesome voice!"

"Cool n Spicy!"

Amu couldn't believe what she was seeing. They weren't trying to kill her, they were practically worshipping her. Did they honestly think she was cool because she hung out with those four lunatics?! Amu felt a sweat drop, believing that was apparently so. She wasn't too thrilled to have her own fangirls, but she was relieved that she was going to live through at least her freshman year.

-

-

"What's wrong with the base section?" Ikuto asked, annoyed by the different rhythms.

"Ikuto, my arms are numb." Kukai complained his head falling on his snare drum with a final bang to symbolize defeat.

"My fingers are sore," Tadase commented taking a closer look at them, "I think calluses have calluses."

"Yeah," Nagihiko nodded his head understanding, "I think we should call it a day."

Ikuto looked around at everyone, convincingly exhausted, "Fine." the sweetest word he could've said. They all practically collapsed on the floor with gratitude for the torture they endured so long was over. So many different songs to perfect for any audition, it was just too much to handle after almost three hours of hard practice.

"Taking a break?" Kairi asked entering Kukai's garage to witness the fall of the band. He could see they were all exhausted from all their work, and he hoped the news he had may perk them up a little, "Good news, I got you all an audition."

"Way to go rep!" Kukai congratulated him with a head lock and noogie for celebration. With smiles and knuckle busts between everyone else.

"Let. Me. Go." Kairi complained trying to get away from Kukai's hold on him. Kukai chuckled and released him, "I'm just messing with you." he assured him hitting on the back hard enough to make him stand straight.

"Right." Kairi grumbled at him. Kukai and Kairi were complete opposites, and the chance of any friendship forming was next to impossible. "Anyway," he started back on topic, gaining back their attention. He adjusted his glasses and continued, while glancing down a written note of information, "The audition's at Shay's Cafe, it's suppose to be this hot spot for musicians and artists."

"I've heard of that." Nagihiko commented thinking back to when he was younger, "My mother had a class perform in the cafe once for publicity. Isn't that mostly just a place for random performances?"

"Yes, but the cafe lost their old interests. People have forgotten about the cafe and their number of performances have dropped to only a few every week or so. That's why now they're holding auditions for usual scheduled performers."

"I don't know," Kukai said crossing his arms in complaint, "A cafe sounds kind of girly."

"It's that, or a six year old's birthday party."

"A cafe sounds great!" Kukai assured him with sudden enthusiasm, "Sign us up."

"I already have." Kairi answered, having predicted they would feel that way, "Your audition is in two weeks from Saturday, and you have to all be present."

"We can do that." Ikuto nodded as his way to silence any complaints there may be for anyone who had a thought of absence, "Now, we have to decide what to play."

"That's the catch." Kairi interrupted him with the only down side to the audition, "You all need to create an original song to perform. They don't do bands that only play remakes of other songs."

"Are you saying we have to write a hit song in two weeks?" Tadase asked everyone suddenly shocked and gaping out into space.

"More or less."

"Great. Most professionals take months to write a song, but we'll just whip one out." Ikuto grumbled to himself. It was difficult for him to compose a song on his guitar. Plus, now they had to include lyrics for Amu.

"How hard can it be?" Kukai asked with an optimistic view on the situation, "Just pick a feeling and we'll roll with it."

"Oh really?!" Tadase asked him with an annoyed expression, "Then why don't you start it and we'll add on."

"Fine!" Kukai answered equally annoyed, with a pause to think, "Uh... I ... got something.. to say... Uh... Your turn."

"What?! I don't know what you have to say!"

"You said you'd add on!"

"I need more than that!"

"I gave you a line!"

"That's not enough!"

"Would you two shut up!" Amu snapped at them, getting a headache listening to all the yelling. They all quieted and looked at her, as if they expected something, "What? It's not that hard to write a song if you know what you want to write about."

"But... I don't know what to write about." Kukai added forcing Amu to explain in more detail.

"Just whatever you're feeling, an emotion that stands out for you. You hear songs all the time about people starting fights, saying who they are, heart break, love,"

"Feelings left unspoken?" Nagihiko suggested

"Exactly."

"Hey Ikuto," Nagihiko nudged him with his elbow, "I want to hear your emotions, why don't you write one?"

"Shut up." Ikuto glared threateningly at the amused Nagihiko, with everyone else just looking confused and shrugging their shoulders. They weren't sure what those two were talking about, nor did they really care at the moment.

"What about sports?!"

"We're not playing a sports song!" Tadase complained.

"You got any better suggestions?!"

"How about school?"

"We play to forget about school! I don't want to play about it man!"

All the while the band was arguing with one another Kairi was just staring in disbelief. The base section was making no progress with the song choices, and the two guitarists seemed to be arguing about a different matter completely. He sighed, at this rate, they weren't going to get anything accomplished. Then he heard humming.

He looked over and saw Amu with her eyes closed, as a way to block out everything around her, thinking with her arms crossed. Lightly she was tapping on her arm with her index finger in a four beat, humming out a rhythm.

-

_**Everyday I live my life**_

_**Going through the same routine**_

_**Feeling like I'm blending in the crowd**_

_**I hate**_

-

She sang in whisper to herself, just trying to find the words. Among the noise, they were barely audible to Kairi, but he heard them nonetheless. She began humming again, searching for more words. Which gave Kairi a chance to shush the others in irritation. They all looked at him annoyed until he put a finger against his lips to silence them before they had a chance to complain. He pointed to Amu, who was still humming, oblivious to what was going on around her.

-

_**On and on the same old thing**_

_**Hiding in my outer shell**_

_**Acting like I know it all**_

_**I don't**_

_-_

She sang another stanza still whispering. As if they were approaching an animal that could attack them. The boys all tip toed closer to hear her better. Since all of them, with the exception of Kairi, were taller than her, they all leaned down to her level. She kept humming and tapping in rhythm thinking what should come next. Until her train of though was interrupted when she suddenly felt something like someone breathing down her neck. She opened her eyes to see, screaming and falling back in surprise of five guys surrounding her and so close.

"That could work." Ikuto commented with a nod, after only hearing the one stanza. Amu just looked at him confused, "Maybe if we keep the same rhythm, just speed up the beat a bit."

"Yeah! Power song!" Kukai agreed with excitement. The faster the song, the easier a drummer can perform.

"The rhythms pretty basic, so it should be easy enough to perform." Nagihiko added his agreement with his own relief.

"We just need a little more lyrics to figure out the beat of the chorus." Tadase commented thinking ahead to the whole song.

"Yeah, keep going Amu." Kukai requested excited staring at her. Amu's face was a light tint of red at that point, she had no idea they were listening to her! She didn't want that to be their song, she was just messing around with her own feelings! The last thing she wanted to do was sing about them on stage!

"That was kind of personal..." Amu said looking away, still blushing red, "And I can't do it with you all staring at me."

"Come on! You're the one that said it wasn't hard!" Kukai complained.

"It's not when you're all stressing me out!" Amu snapped back at him. Tension was rising on the garage. It was overwhelming from all the practicing earlier and now added pressure. They were all arguing and bickering to one another about one thing or another, Ikuto just looking at them thinking for a moment. He was thinking about what he could do to get them to enjoy playing again, maybe with just some relaxation... that's when it came to him.

"Hey!" he shouted at them all, shutting them up long enough to hear him out, "Who's busy tonight?" They all just exchanged confused glances, no one speaking up. "Good. Call home and tell them you'll be a little late tonight." he commanded before walking over to his guitar.

"What?!" Amu complained. She had Ami and other things to do that night, the last thing she wanted to do was practice more with them all trying to pry at her personal life for a song! She was going to explain all this to him, when she noticed, he wasn't going to his guitar to play his guitar, but put it away.

He looked back at the group, everyone actually looking confused. They had all assumed his intention was to keep them all there for more practice. "What? Just call them and tell them you'll be there around eight." Ikuto commanded again, taking his guitar in his case and walking off to his van, "Come on! We don't have all night."

Reluctantly, Amu pulled out her cellphone and walked away from the group, like everyone else did, and dialed her dad, she hoped was awake.

"Hello?" he answered, yawning like he'd just woken up most likely.

"Hey dad."

"Amu? What's wrong." Of course he would be concerned, Amu never tried to call to wake him up.

"Nothing. I just wanted to call and say I'll be home a little late tonight. Could you call someone to pick up Ami for me?"

"Alright..." of course he was always curious as to why Amu would want to stay out later. She hadn't asked to really do anything for herself in ages, so this request took him off guard. He wanted to ask so badly why, but he restrained himself, not wanting to push her off the edge or anything, "What time will you be home?"

"Around eight." an hour before her scheduled curfew that she had almost forgotten she had it'd been so long since she needed to use it. "Before you have to leave."

"Alright. Have fun, and be safe."

"I will." Amu assured her father's concerns before hanging up.

"Let's go!" Ikuto called honking his horn assembling them all to the van.

"Where are we going?!" Amu asked annoyed by how pushy he was being.

"You'll see.

"Wow." was the only thing Amu could say, in awe at the sight before her. An amusement park, shining with the park light up for the night. There looked like a lot of rides with a few people roaming around in excitement. They were all shocked to be brought here of all places, but Amu was actually smiling. She was excited, she'd never been to a place like this, and it looked so beautiful.

"Lets go." Ikuto said casually walking forward.

"What do you think we're five years old or something?" Tadase asked glaring at Ikuto, offended and threatening him not to make a comment on age, size, or gender.

"Yeah, we're not going to-Ooh carousel!!!" Kukai started to say, but his excitement over powered him, "Lets go Amu!" he said before sprinting into the park while holding Amu's wrist, dragging her along.

"Hey! Kukai! Don't take hostages!" Tadase yelled after them, following with his own sprit to catch up with them. Kairi behind him, looking concerned, he obviously hadn't seen Kukai and Amu do the running dash before.

"This should be entertaining." Nagihiko commented to Ikuto while they both walked in calmly to the others, who got distracted by the bumper cars.

"Hurry up Ikuto! I want to beat you against the wall!" Kukai encouraged him as they waited in a short line to the bumper cars.

"You're on."

In the next hour, the group went all over the park. Beating each other in bumper cars, playing whack-a-mole, screaming their heads off on the roller coaster, now they were having fun playing in the house of mirrors making faces and laughing at themselves. Kairi was staring at himself with a big head, Nagihiko laughing at his twisted form, Tadase and Kukai staring at fat versions of themselves. Kukai laughing and puffing his cheeks out and Tadase jumping up and down to see different angles. Ikuto was shaking his head at them, to think, high schoolers were having this much fun at an amusement park. Although his plan did work to get them all having fun again.

"Hey! Ikuto!" Ikuto looked behind him, where Amu was calling him over while waving her hand in the air to get his attention, "Come here!" Cautiously, he approached her, not sure what she wanted him for.

"What?" she pointed at the mirror in front of her and Ikuto just cocked his head staring at their reflection. This mirror made Amu look taller and Ikuto look shorter, making her, to Amu's satisfaction, taller than him. She laughed at the difference and made a victory sign with her fingers at him. "Yeah, very funny." Ikuto answered jokingly, it was kind of funny to see the difference.

"Hurry up slowpokes!" Kukai called to them as they all were exciting the house of mirrors, Amu and Ikuto not far behind. "Let's go to the House of Horrors next!" Kukai suggested with excitement, the other guys nodding in agreement. However, with the words horrors, Amu eyes went wide and she froze as the others walked on. She pulled herself together enough to follow after them, but she fell apart again once they reached the house. It looked like something straight out a movie, like Dracula's lair or something.

"Uh..., isn't this a little.. lame?" Amu said keeping cool looking away.

"No way!" Kukai defended the house, "It's suppose to be this ride as we go through the house and things jump out at us!" Amu felt herself go pale from the description.

"Yeah..., but, how good can a haunted house be at an amusement park?"

"True," Tadase said nodding in agreement, Amu thought she'd gotten a savior, until he said with his charming smile, "We can jump laugh at how fake it all looks though." then, she just wanted to crawl into a hole. They all wanted to go inside.

What was she going to do? She didn't want them to know she scared of something as childish as ghost and stuff. She didn't want to go inside either. Maybe she could pretend she was sick or something, but she didn't think she could put on a convincing performance. "Uh..." she kept stalling for time to think of some way out of this.

"There not even a line!" Kukai said excitedly grabbing Amu by the wrists and dragging her inside. Too late. Just like Kukai said, it was a ride. There a train, that one would ride on a roller coaster, waiting their for the next group, which happened to just be them. "I call front!" Kukai said running towards the front only to have Nagihiko stop him by grabbing the back of his shirt.

"Hold it. Read the signs," Nagihiko commanded pointing back at the sign that said the cart had to fill two to a cart. "Someone has to ride with you in the front."

"Ok, I pick rep!" he answered grabbing rep by the wrists and dragging him to the front cart.

"Tadase and I can go to the middle cart." Nagihiko suggested, pointing at a cart back three from Kukai and Kairi. "You two can get the back cart."

"Why?" Tadase asked not particularly wanting the middle cart.

"So we're spread out, and I can't sit next to Ikuto." Nagihiko reasoned with him, adding in a whisper, "I think he's plotting to murder me."

"Huh?" Tadase asked confused, but couldn't ask anything else before Nagihiko dragged him to the middle cart. Reluctantly, Amu followed Ikuto into the cart in the back. The cart didn't have much for safety. Just a belt buckle that could be easily removed and a bar to hold on to. Somehow, none of this comforted her. Not to mention, she had to sit next to Ikuto! If she got scared in front of him, he'd never let her live it down.

Went the ride started, Amu started shaking, not sure what to expect, just knowing she didn't want to be there. The ride wasn't moving fast as it went into different rooms of the haunted house. The first few things to come out were bats flying over them and a few ghosts. A few of the guys were laughing, but Amu had to grab the bar in front of her until her knuckles were white and bite the inside of her mouth to keep from screaming.

Ikuto was just rolling his eyes at the display. It was all so lame to him. He felt something shaking him. He looked over at Amu, and saw her shaking and gripping the bar in front of her tightly. "Are you alright?" he asked concerned, he wasn't sure what was wrong with her.

Amu nearly jumped hearing Ikuto's voice. She looked over at him, and plastered on a fake smile. She didn't want him to know she was scared. "I'm fine." she assured him with a fake laugh, he wasn't buying any of it. He knew something was wrong, he just wasn't sure what.

"Fine." he said shrugging as if brushing the problem aside. Amu had a moment to sigh in relief only to nearly jump out of her seat when another ghost appeared in front of them, "But, you're going to break the bar." Ikuto observed making Amu release the bar as if it were on fire.

"Whatever." Amu grumbled, determined not to loose her composure in front of him. That thought was of course before a goblin came up beside her. She wasn't prepared for it and a small shriek escaped from her lips. It wasn't too loud, but loud enough for Ikuto to look back at her confused. She just quickly clapped her hands over her mouth and curled up, trembling.

"Hey Amu," Ikuto tried to get her attention, but she just shook her head to stop him from asking any questions. He cocked an eyebrow at her, he had an assumption as to what was wrong, it just seemed weird for it to be right. Amu didn't seem to be the type of person to get scared of this kind of thing. "Are you afraid of this stuff?" in a panic she shook her head harder than before curling up tighter. Ikuto sweat dropped looking at her, "Yeah, that's convincing."

"I'm not scared!" Amu snapped at him, gaining that much of her attitude back.

"Yes you are." he told her seriously, he was pretty sure his assumption was right.

"Why would I be scared of something so childish?!"

"I don't know, why are you so stubborn?"

"I am not!" she told him irritated with a glare. It quickly vanished when she heard a lightning and thunder effect and a monster creature appeared. Her eyes went wide and she couldn't hold a small scream (even the guys in front screamed from surprise more than terror) before wrapping her arms around Ikuto's arm on reflex. She just buried her face against his arm trembling. He already knew she was scared, she didn't think there was much point of hiding it anymore. Although she thought she should, she didn't want to let go of his arm. She had always hated these places, she didn't want to be there.

Ikuto looked at her in concern. He'd never seen Amu like this. She had always been acting tough, or vicious, or pissed off with him, but now, she was scared, trembling, and somehow vulnerable. He could tell she didn't want to be there, and it didn't take him long to figure out what he was going to do. He quickly undid their seat belts causing Amu to release his arm and look up at him in shock.

"What are you-" she started to ask, before he put his hand over her mouth to keep her from making anymore noise. She tried to pry his hand off her mouth, but she was taken off guard when he scooped her up and held her bridal style. Her eyes went wide with shock the only thing she could do was stare at him as he dare to stand up on the ride. Amu froze in his arms, there was no way this was safe, she was too afraid to move and knock him off balance or something like that. Ikuto didn't notice, he just barely had to step out, his legs were so long, and hit the concrete with the cart riding away in front of them.

He just walked to a door that was labeled exit and walked out. Once she was over the initial shock, she started struggling out of his grasp. He took his hand off her mouth so she could command him to, "Put me down!" much to her surprise, he actually did, even put her lightly on her feet. Then, there was another shock for her. She felt a hit against the back of her head, "Oww! What was that for?!" she complained to Ikuto him just looking down on her seriously.

"And you call me an idiot."

"What?" Amu asked, rubbing the back of her head that was a little sore, confused.

"If you were afraid of haunted houses, why didn't you say something before we all went in?"

Amu was kind of shocked by the question, she had really expected him to tease her about it once they were out. She felt embarrassed, and felt the blush that said so. Looking away she quickly responded with her arms crossed and her attitude showing, "I-It's not like I had a chance to, you guys have been dragging me around all night."

Ikuto thought about it, and he realized, between all of them, Amu had been pulled around everywhere. He sighed a surrender, "Ok, I guess we have me dragging you everywhere, so I'll make it up to you." curiously Amu glanced over at him to see his smirk, "I'll on whatever ride you want with you."

Amu was about to say how she didn't care about anything that stupid, when a thought came to her mind. There was a ride she had wanted to go on, but her attitude wouldn't allow her to admit it. She could use Ikuto as an excuse to ride because of his offer. Her own mischievous smile crossed her face, amused just picturing someone like Ikuto on that ride. Of course her smile didn't go unnoticed. Ikuto's smirk vanished and replaced with a look of confusion, "Any ride I want?" Amu asked innocently with that smile.

Ikuto didn't like the sound of that, "Maybe I should rephrase that."

"Oh no." Amu commanded grabbing his wrist with both her hands so he couldn't get away, "You already said you would."

Ikuto looked down at Amu with her same expression. "I'm going to regret this, aren't I?" he asked rhetorically, he already knew he would.

"Please." Amu asked smiling a real smile up at him, her eyes shining with excitement. This was defiantly a side of Amu he'd never seen before, not that he'd admit it, but a cute side.

He cursed himself in his head before sighing an agreement, "Fine." Amu smiled wider with excitement, she had forgotten to use her cool attitude.

"Come on," she pulled Ikuto towards the ride she wanted to go on.


	12. Teacups and Rides

_Cause it's you and me_

_And all of the people_

_With nothing to do_

_Nothing to lose_

_And it's you and me_

_And all of the people_

_And I don't know why,_

_I can't keep my eyes off you_

_~You and Me - Lifehouse _

"That's lame! That's so not you!" Amu told Ikuto laughing so hard it hurt. She had managed to get him into a tea cup, and it was more amusing than she had imagined. This was funnier than Ami being on his shoulders, "You're so big you stick out."

"You're enjoying this too much." Ikuto told her with a sweat drop at her excessive laughing. Why was the only time he heard her laugh this hard was at his expense? One might think he would be embarrassed having to squeeze into a teacup, especially with the uncomfortable position he was in, having to bend his knees against his chest and still be half way out of the ride. No, he didn't really care. There weren't many people here, because it was a school night, and it's not like anyone he knew was here, even if they were they would be smart enough to know not to mention anything about it. Ikuto was actually more bothered by the group of kids riding in the teacup next to them, staring back at him as if he were a part of a freak show.

"That's too funny." Amu got out, starting to calm her laughter, rubbing her eyes that had ended up watering from laughter,"I've never been on anything like this before."

"You've never ridden in a teacup before?" Ikuto asked amazed, this was a past time of his, and it seemed every kid had been on it at least once, half admitting to have thrown up after riding it.

"No," Amu answered cocking her head to the side, it wasn't as unusual for her as it was to him, "Have you?" Amu asked questioning the senior amusingly.

"Sure, when I could actually fit in it." Ikuto said trying to move to find comfort, but that was a pointless effort. From now on he was going to choose his words more carefully.

Amu giggled lightly shaking her head at him, "No, back when I was younger money was really tight, so we couldn't afford to go many places," Amu explained curling her knees against her chest, smiling to herself at remembrance of the past. How her father would make their old kitchen look like the inside of a castle and dress up like a princess himself with her. By the time they would start drinking their pretend tea, her mother would walk in and laugh at the sight. "We didn't start going places like that until after Ami was born. Then I just followed her around."

Ikuto sat watching her carefully, it was like walking on thin ice with her, it was hard to tell what she was thinking or how she would react to a comment. "Older sister instinct?"

"Yeah, I always had to watch Ami while my parents were at work. I like being an older sister, but there were rides I wanted to go back then." Amu said still having a smile on her lips. There were times in the past she didn't want to have all those responsibilities, or just wanted to do things for fun. She could never say so before, their family had a hard enough time getting by, she didn't need to act selfish to add on to anything. Lost in her memories, her eyes went wide and her face went flush when she realized she had told Ikuto all that, and on top of that he was staring at her! "But that was way back in the past, nothing to worry about now." Amu said in a panic with a nervous smile and fake laughter.

Ikuto thought back about what she had sang back at the garage, '_On and on the same old thing, hiding in my outer shell. Acting like I know it all. I don't._' there was some truth in what she sang, how she really felt. He just shook his head with a sly smile at her pathetic defense. "You got a strong character you know?"

"Huh?" Amu asked shocked by that statement.

"That's fine, but you don't have to always act that way," Ikuto explained avoiding eye contact with her, but looking over the amusement park as they went around, "It's alright to let your guard down and have fun sometimes."

Amu stared at him without any expression on her face, only wonder in her eyes. It was like he had read her mind, but she didn't get why. Why would he tell her that? Why would he even bother or care? Why... was she even there? She thought that she had to join the band for her father's sake, but why now? Amu didn't think Ikuto would have her father fired, sure he was arrogant, annoying, and a little perverted at times, but she didn't really think he was a bad person. If her father's job wasn't at jeopardy, why was she still in the band? Why would she continue to break her promise for no reason?

"You know," Amu started getting Ikuto's attention. She swallowed the lump and her throat before starting again, a small blush spreading across her cheeks, "At first, I thought I had to join the band, even if it meant breaking a promise," she explained with Ikuto staring at her now. Why had she felt forced to join, and what kind of promise was she breaking? He wanted to ask, but thought better of it, as she continued, "Now, I don't feel like I'm being forced to sing, but, I still feel like I want to be apart of it."

She sat awkwardly daring to look at him with a sweet smile, "I forgot how much I loved to sing, and it's a lot of fun." Ikuto was shocked to hear her say all that, he thought she hated everyone in the band. Obviously not, with her smiling like that, she really did look happy about what she said. That smile she had was contagious, he was even smiling back at her.

Of course, he remembered something about the teacups, "What's this do?" he asked grabbing the steering wheel in the middle of the teacup. Amu looked at him confused, until he started turning the wheel. She screamed at first at surprise, then started laughing with the added spinning. When the ride came to a stop, she was a little disappointed.

"That was fun." Amu said jumping out of the teacup with ease, being small had it's advantages every now and then.

Ikuto just nodded and tried to get up, but had a little difficulty. His face fell as he tried again and again. Amu just stared at him, watching him try to get out, "This isn't good."

"Ikuto," Amu asked trying to hold back a laugh, "Are you stuck?"

"No," Ikuto said keeping a laid back attitude, "I just like this pretty pink teacup so much I thought I'd ride again." he told her before trying to get out again. Which, coincidently, the group of younger kids stopped to laugh at the sight. Amu couldn't help putting a hand over her mouth and try to muffle her laughs, "Haha, sure, let's all make fun of the big kid stuck in a teacup."

"You're too big mister." one little girl in pigtails told him.

He just stared down at her before replying, "Thanks, I must of forgot."

Amu rolled her eyes laughing lightly, "Here," Amu said grabbing his hand and using all her strength to get him out enough for him to maneuver out. The kids laughing and applauding them.

"Yeah, it's only funny until it happens to you." Ikuto told them, one kid shaking his head that it wouldn't happen to him, "Alright, well, when you're a senior in high school and some girl suckers you into riding the teacups with her, then I'll be laughing at you."

"You trying to prove something?" Amu asked laughing at his life lesson to the kids.

"Only to choose their words carefully." Ikuto answered, "None of the guys hear about this."

"Fine, fine- oh, we left without telling them." Amu said forgetting they were still at the haunted house.

"I'm sure they're alright, we'll meet up with them later."

"How do you know?"

"I'm their ride home, they'll come looking for us eventually."

-

-

"That wasn't too bad," Kukai said nodding approval as the ride stopped at the end.

"It all looked so fake though," Kairi told him, not amused.

"Loosen up dude, we were all screaming," Kukai said staring at Kairi wondering what it took to get this guy to have some fun.

"Where do you all want to go next?" Nagihiko asked jumping out of his seat, with the rest following his example.

"I don't know," Kukai commented, having gone to all the places he had wanted to go, "Hey Ikuto, what's a good ride here? Uh...Ikuto?" They all looked back to see Amu and Ikuto were missing. After exchanging glances they all started screaming in a panic. "Ahh! Where'd they go?!"

"How would we know?!" Tadase asked not out of bitterness, just panic.

"Could they have gotten lost in the ride?" Kairi asked nervous, there was a strong possibility one of them was injured, and that was the last thing he wanted to happen to anyone(mostly anyone anyway).

"Alright!" Kukai said getting their attention, he made a motion to suggest he was a saluting soldier, "If going on this ride again means to secure the safety of our comrades, then I volunteer!" he said before running to the ride.

"No." Nagihiko told him, grabbing him by the collar and pulling him back as he struggled (Nagihiko was stronger than he looked), "If they're in the ride, we'll ask someone at the front desk to check the cameras inside." Kukai stopped struggling suddenly.

"There are cameras inside?" he ask dumbfounded.

"You didn't know that?" Tadase asked amazed how he managed to get through the day.

"Now we _have_ to ride again!" Kukai whined, motioning towards the ride.

"Why?"

"This is a perfect opportunity to moon the guys watching the cameras!"

"You...want to moon the guys at the front desk?" Tadase asked, all of them staring at Kukai. Kukai just nodded with enthusiasm. "Ok, first off, no one wants to see your ass!"

"Hmph!" Kukai made the sound crossing his arms, "I'm offended!"

"Then of course, in case you've forgotten," Tadase started off with a calm average voice, that quickly became a yell, "TWO OF OUR FRIENDS ARE MISSING! ... One more important than another."

"I got it. I got it!" Kukai responded putting his arms over his head as if for protection, "Wait, who's more important? Ikuto or Amu?"

"I thought it was Amu, I could care less what happens to Ikuto. What, you think it's Ikuto?"

"Yeah, well..., Amu hurts me!"

"So does Ikuto," Nagihiko added amused by his reasoning. Kairi just staring at them all, him being the only one who realized the depth of the situation, and the fact they were wasting time.

"How can put this...?" Kukai wondered trying to find the best way to explain, "I guess I'd rather get hurt by a _big guy_ than a _little girl_."

"No offense Kukai, but I think _Ami_ could take you."

"What?! You trying to pick a fight with me princey?!"

"Stop using code names!"

"Hello!" they all stopped and turned to an aggravated Kairi, "People still missing!"

"Right!" Kukai remembered after getting distracted, "To the front desk men!"

-

-

Amu preferred going through the amusement park at a slower pace. Everything was so bright and wonderful. Without Kukai and the others running around the whole park, it felt more like leisure. She never saw Ikuto as the laid back type, not after all the practice she had to endure with him. It wasn't really a bad thing, just, something...different. She wasn't complaining though, he was more tolerable to be around when he wasn't dictating practice or teasing her constantly.

"Want to ride that next?" Amu asked pointing at the merry-go-round as they passed it, she was taking the initiative for sweet revenge before it was back to the usual him teasing her.

Ikuto stared at the ride, then stared at her, Amu still smiling with amusement, "Damn woman, you already got me stuck in a tea cup, now you want me to break a plastic horse?!"

Amu laughed at his reasoning, "Come on, you could get a manly horse."

"There is no such thing as a manly horse on a _merry-go-round_." Ikuto answered her, making her laugh again. "You should do that more often." told her in a casual tone, no big deal.

"Huh? Do what?" Amu asked not sure what he was referring to.

"Smile and laugh more." Ikuto answered her with a shrug. She looked at him accusingly, as if he'd done something wrong. He just explained with a sly smile, "You look cuter that way."

That caught her off guard. She looked away from him as a way to hide the small blush on her cheeks. "Quit messing with me, or you're going to get hurt." Amu threatened without much effect on Ikuto, who just shrugged, his sly smiles still on his lips with amusement.

"IKUTO!!!" he heard someone yell for him, making his smile quick fade replaced with an irritated expression, "AMU!!!" Amu was surprised to hear her name and even more surprised when someone jumped on her almost knocking her to the ground. "We were so worried!" Kukai said to her in sadness and relief. In that moment, Kukai reminded her of her father when she got separated from him in the mall once..., and then every other day really.

"We've been looking all over for you two!" Tadase complained to Ikuto.

"Oh, so of course it's Ikuto's fault." Ikuto said sarcastically to Tadase for only complaining to him.

"It usually is."

"It's about time we start home anyway," Nagihiko intervened before more words could be shared, "Why don't we call it a night?"

"Not yet." Kukai said with seriousness releasing Amu, "One more game." Kukai requested without much asking as he walked over to the prize games. The rest exchanged glances with one another before shrugging and following Kukai to whatever game he had in mind.

They all couldn't help but stop and stare at the game he chose. It was a strength testing game where you use a mallet and hit the plate to tell how strong you were. If you hit the bell, you received a prize. "Seriously?" Tadase asked what everyone else was thinking. Why this of all things?

"I'm going to prove to you that _she_ can't get the better of me!" Kukai announced, pointing at Amu when he said she.

"I guess he took those comments to heart." Kairi inquired the others agreeing.

"You got to be kidding me?" Amu asked rhetorically, but still hoping he would laugh and say it was just a joke. Of course, this would be the one time he wasn't joking around.

"I'll go first." he told her before picking up the mallet and bringing it over his head. "Watch this." he commanded them before bringing down the hammer with all his force, only to get halfway to the bell, landing on whimp.

They all started laughing at the result, "It suits you." Ikuto commented to Kukai, who was staring at the game in disbelief.

"This game's rigged." he decided before holding the mallet in front of Amu, "You're turn." Amu didn't want to, but she knew how persistent Kukai could be, there was no point in refusing. She took the mallet, only to be brought to the ground, it was a lot heavier than she thought. She heard mild laughter behind her and Kukai above her, "Can you pick it up?" he asked mockingly.

"You're not really helping your case Kukai." Nagihiko told him warningly, it wasn't cool to laugh at a girl who wasn't too strong. Then again, it was Amu who was always acting like she could take anyone.

A little aggravated she pulled the mallet to the plate. She positioned herself before lifting the mallet above her head. Only to have the weight of the mallet fall back bringing her with it. She felt a hand catch her back before she hit the ground. Looking up, she saw Ikuto's smirking face looking down on her, "Nicely done." he commented sarcastically before rising her up.

"Like you can do it," she muttered for her benefit. Ikuto just shrugged and picked up the mallet with one hand, to Amu's amazement. Ikuto brought down the mallet with some strength to hit the plate hard enough to hit the bell.

"Figures." Kukai muttered his complaint. As the man running the stand gave Ikuto a stuffed black cat plush doll as his prize, interesting prizes for a strength testing game.

"Here." Ikuto said handing it to Amu. She stared at the stuffed animal, smiling at her, in disbelief, then back at Ikuto.

"Uh..." Amu wasn't sure if the tea cups made him forget she was in high school or not, "Why?"

"I would've given to Kukai, but then he would've yelled at me."

"You trying to be funny?" Kukai asked still sulking about the whimp result.

"Then..., why me?" Amu asked still confused.

"You're a girl aren't you?"

"I like to think so."

"Do you really?" Kukai asked thinking back about the cross dressing she used to do. She glared at him as a response, "I'm shutting up now." he added before hiding behind Nagihiko from Amu's death glare.

"You could give it to Ami." Tadase suggested as Amu continued to stare at the doll.

"Good idea." she said before stuffing it in her backpack.

"Now, if there isn't anything else," Nagihiko started glancing at Kukai for an answer. He just shook his head before Nagihiko finished, "We should probably get going."

-

-

"I'm back." Amu called as she entered her home.

"HiAmu,hopeyouhadfun!Igottogetgoing!Seeyouinthemorning!" her father yelled quickly to her, sprinting out the door in a hurry. He couldn't leave for work until Amu got home to watch Ami, now he was in a rush to get there on time. Amu looked in to see Ami watching some comedy show.

"Scare him away did you?" Amu asked teasingly to Ami who just shook her head quickly before getting back to her show. Amu put her hand in her backpack to give Ami the doll, but hesitated after feeling the soft texture. "Uh...," Amu started with Ami taking the opportunity to stare at her during a commercial, "I'm going to do my homework in my room." she said before walking upstairs. Ami stared at her questioningly before shrugging and staring back at the television.

Amu shut the door behind her once in her room. She slumped down to the ground and pulled the doll out of her backpack. It was just a stupid kid toy, not to mention it was a cat doll, why didn't she give it to Ami? It was the first thing she'd ever gotten from a guy..., but what was the big deal?! It was just on a whim, and it was Ikuto who gave it to her! She groaned before burying her head in her knees. After awhile she took the doll and put it under her bed. Out of sight, out of mind, right? Wrong.

-

-

**Not much going on in this chapter, but the next one will be fun...I think anyway O.O. Well, I'm all for Amuto ever since I read chapter 43! Me, my mom, and my grandma were all freaking out (with my dad looking at us like we were crazy in the background)! I'm so excited! Well, stupid school has been loading me done with homework *sighs* so I haven't been able to work on my story as much as I'd like to! I will do as much as I can though! I love reviews! They make me want to write a lot (I know everyone says that, but we all know it's true!) **

**No one was surprised...at all! Everyone knew it would be the teacups, but oh well lol! And yes! I didn't get to say so in the last chapter because my mom's paper mache caught on fire in the oven (long story) so I could only update really fast before helping her put it out, but yes! The lyrics Amu was singing were my own (give me some credit people I'm kind of creative) I'll always specify if it's another song. Ok now, later^^**


	13. Who Are You?

_If you're looking for something you can't find_

_If you give it up you'll lose your mind_

_There's always something in your way_

_What can you say...?_

_You're going to have a good day!_

_~Good Day - Click Five_

"Amu." Rima poked her friend's back as she laid across her desk, her head hidden behind her arms, with her hood covering her head.

"What?!" Amu asked shooting awake up off her desk. Rima stared at Amu blankly, she thought it was strange she looked so dead.

"Class hasn't even started yet, and you're already asleep." Rima said in disbelief at Amu who looked too tired to care.

"I didn't get much sleep last night." Amu told her with a yawn rubbing her eyes roughly as a way to stay awake.

"Why?" Rima asked, she knew Amu was smart enough to realize she had school the next day. She wouldn't stay up so late knowing she'd be too exhausted to pay attention in class. Then there was only one culprit, or more like one group, "What happened?"

"I didn't get home until eight last night," Amu answered obviously to Rima's distance glare just thinking about that group, "So I didn't have much time to do my schoolwork and work on our song I somehow got stuck writing." Amu mumbled the last part in complaint.

"You're writing a song?" Rima couldn't help sounding surprised. Amu was a good friend of hers, probably her best friend at this point, but she couldn't help noticed Amu didn't have much of a creative side in art class. Rima just couldn't imagine Amu writing a song the band would perform. "When was that decided?"

"We need an original song for an audition, and coming home from the amusement park, they voted for me to write it." Amu said dropping her head to her desk in defeat, "And I'm having major writers block."

Rima stared at her for a moment before asking, "...Amusement park?"

"Yeah," Amu said with an embarrassed laugh, "We all went after practice to have fun and relax, you know?"

"You're telling me," Rima started trying to understand the situation, "That a group of high school boys, most of them upperclassmen, went to an _amusement park_ for _fun_?" she emphasized the words amusement park and fun just to make sure Amu heard her correctly.

"Yeah," Amu said with an embarrassed smile, there was no way she was telling Rima she had fun there, "Go figure, huh?"

"I'll say." Rima sighed at the thought of those older guys playing in an amusement park, possible an interesting comedy situation, but Rima wasn't laughing, "They sure are interesting characters, aren't they?"

"There...something alright," Amu agreed, she knew they were all insane, but she could tolerate them enough to have a good time with them. Plus, they had their good moments.

"From what you've told me, they're always up to something with you," Rima observed, thinking back to all the times she talked with Amu over the phone after something crazy and stupid had happened, "Honestly, do they ever let you have time for your other friends?"

Amu blinked, staring at her blankly, "Uhh..." Amu started trying to figure out the best way to say it without seeming like a complete loser.

"You don't have any other friends, do you?" She had forgotten how blunt Rima was, and just dropped her head showing her response as a yes. "Amu." Rima said shaking her head at her friend.

"I don't know if you've noticed this or not, but I don't exactly have many friends," Amu explained added a hint of sarcasm, since she already knew Rima had that knowledge. Rima thought for a moment staring at Amu. Sure, Amu seemed hard approach at times, but she wasn't the type of girl she lead people to believe she was. She wasn't cool and antisocial, she was just shy and easily embarrassed by things. Amu wasn't the type of girl that liked the spotlight, and tried her best to stay out of it. Rima knew that, but no one else did.

"What do you say to a get together Friday night?" Rima asked starting to lead into the idea that came to mind. It certainly caught Amu's attention.

"A get together?"

"Like at your house. We can invite some girls over and have a sleep over." Rima suggested, without any enthusiasm in her voice. If Amu weren't so shocked by the suggestion, she would have died laughing.

"A sleep over?" Amu asked, making sure she heard correctly.

"Why not? I can get some girls together and we'll have some good quality girl time."

"Seriously?" Amu asked not sure what to think. Rima smiled at Amu's confused expression, this was just what she needed.

-

-

"Asked anyone yet?" Amu asked Rima in regards to her get together.

"Yeah, but they're all busy that weekend." Rima answered annoyed by all the let downs, how were they suppose to have a sleep over without any girls to hang out with. "It's starting to get ridiculous."

"If you can't get any girls together," Amu suggested, both hoping she would and wouldn't, "We could just hang out."

"I guess," Rima answered like it was no big deal, although it really was to her, "That would be alright." she answered with one of her sweet smiles she rarely gave. She looked more angelic with that smile, it was almost seemed like she was glowing. Amu smiled in response, it was always something to see Rima that... friendly to be blunt.

"RIMA-TAN!!!" Then again, the down side when she looked cute, it didn't take long for her fanboys to notice. Amu was shocked by the number of boys that began to surround them, all with faces of admiration, and a few with cameras in an attempt to capture the moment. Unfortunately, they didn't have the opportunity to, Rima's face instantly becoming annoyed by all of them.

"HII-YA!!!" Amu heard someone scream before a few boys went flying in the air, and the rest backing up. Right in front of them Kukai seemed to have flown in on top his skateboard, facing the boys with a serious face, "Move along boys, nothing to see here." With that they all took off, practically running away.

"Kukai?" Amu asked more shocked than she was before.

"Whimp, ha." he said in a regular voice with a fake laugh, before yelling with triumph, "Whimp my unmooned ass!"

"Huh?" Amu asked, both girls staring at Kukai with confused expressions.

"Uhh... I'll tell you later." Kukai answered with nervous laughter, "This a friend of yours?" he asked focusing in on Rima.

"Yeah," Amu nodded looking between the two, "Kukai, this is Rima, Rima, Kukai." Amu gave the introductions.

"I see," Kukai said before putting on his signature grin, "Nice to meet cha!" he told Rima, rubbing the top of her head messing up her hair. She glared at him while she raked her hands through her hair to fix the damage.

"Amu! Kukai! Hurry up you two!" Tadase called for them from the van, gesturing them to come over.

"I'll see you tomorrow Rima." Amu said goodbye to her friend before going over to Kukai to head to the van.

"Don't forget to ask your dad about Friday." Rima reminded her before Amu took off with Kukai.

"I won't." she yelled back before turning her attention to Kukai

"What's going on Friday?" he asked by the time they were within earshot of the rest of the group.

"Rima and I are having a get together," answered more to everyone than just Kukai, "You guys want to come?"

"Woohoo!" Kukai said with excitement giving Tadase a high five, because he was the closest person to him, "Party at Amu's!"

"No." Rima stated firmly, making Amu and Kukai jump.

"Where'd you come from?!" Kukai asked, freaked out about how she was just walking the other direction a few moments ago, and suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"First rule of sleep overs," Rima continued, ignoring Kukai and speaking directly to Amu, "No boys allowed."

"Why not?" Amu asked, not really bothered by them coming to a party they were having, she was planning to kick them out that night anyway.

"Because," Rima answered in a neutral tone, she knew Amu would make them leave before the sleeping part of the sleep over but still, this was to help her make girl friends, "We're going to talk about them behind their backs."

"Way to be blunt." Nagihiko commented on the girl that stood before them. She sent a swift glare in his direction before turning back to Amu.

"My bad," Amu offered rubbing the back of her head with a nervous laugh.

"Geez." Rima said with a sigh, she could be so oblivious at times, "I'll see you tomorrow Amu."

"Bye." Amu called to her as she went walking off to meet her mother out front. "Let's get a move on guys." Amu said to the guys, all of them staring blankly at her. "What?"

"_You're_ having a _sleep over_?" Kukai asked in disbelief, when she said get together he thought she meant going out somewhere, not a sleep over.

"Yeah, why?" They all looked away, some whistling, from her. None of them dared to mention their thoughts over Amu being the host of a girl's only sleep over. Not that they wouldn't love to see her attempt that. Which might have been the reason why their thoughts shifted to another matter.

"Oh yeah," Kukai added just remembering what he needed to tell them, "We can't use my garage today. My brothers are doing something in their that's off limits to us."

"And you choose to tell us now?" Ikuto asked annoyed by Kukai's impeccable timing.

"What are they doing?" Tadase asked what the rest of them were wondering, aside from everyone being annoyed that they didn't have a place to practice now.

"I... don't feel comfortable repeating." Kukai answered, making them all shudder with their own imaginations.

"Alright.." Ikuto said shaking that off, "Who's place is available?" he asked looking around at everyone.

"There are people over at my house," Tadase answered to get him out, "Plus, my grandmother's sensitive to sound still."

"My mom's having classes at my place." Nagihiko added making them all look over at Amu.

"My dad's asleep." Amu said losing hope for Amu's place. Then all stared at the only person left. Ikuto stared back at all of them before sighing in defeat.

"Fine, no one's at my place, so I guess we can use the garage."

"Yes!" Kukai couldn't help getting excited about it.

"What's with the extra enthusiasm?" Amu asked, he wasn't usually this hyped up about practice.

"I love going to Ikuto's place! It's like a freaking mansion!" Kukai spoke the truth, Easter brought in a good profit to the owners.

"Call Kairi and tell him we'll pick him up at his bus stop." Ikuto told Nagihiko who was as usual, calmer about these sort of events. While he was making the call the Kairi, and everyone huddled into the van, Amu couldn't help wondering what it _would_ look like.

-

-

"I said I'm working on it! Would you get off my back!" Amu explained to the hundredth time, to Kukai's continuous complaints on how inconvenient practice was since they couldn't practice their new song.

"You had all night to work on it!"

"It takes awhile to write stupid!"

"You're the one that said it was easy!"

"Yeah, when I'm given more than one night to do it!" They glared at each other, both of them grinding their teeth with raised fists as if they about to start throwing punches at one another.

"Maybe we should take a break," Nagihiko suggested with a sweat drop at the two, "You know, before they kill each other," he added to Tadase, Ikuto, and Kairi who were all staring at the two sweat dropping as well.

"Good idea." Ikuto said putting down his guitar and taking a seat on a lawn chair by Kairi and Tadase. "Would you two cool it?" Ikuto asked Amu and Kukai who seemed to be oblivious to everything around them. Until they suddenly looked away from each other with a humph. Amu walked over to a stool close to Tadase, Ikuto, and Kairi and sat down ignoring Kukai who sat on the ground in front of Nagihiko's chair.

"Well," Kairi said trying to get them to focus on him, "If you could get the song done by Friday, we could spend that day practicing it, and during the weekend."

"Friday's bad for me." Amu told him, forgetting he wasn't there when she told the other's.

"Yeah, she's having a sleep over." Tadase told him watching him try to him the shocked expression on his face.

"Really?" Kairi asked her, adjusting his glasses to hide his surprise.

"Yeah, if Rima can get some girls together," Amu answered thinking about what the girls were talking about before they were interrupted by obsessed fanboys.

"Well, if you need more girls, I can ask my girlfriend if you want. I'm sure she wouldn't mind." Kairi answered, but before Amu could say thanks, she froze, along with everyone else.

Kukai bursted out laughing, while everyone else remained frozen, just staring at Kairi, "That's a good one. You had us going there for a minute with the "girlfriend" thing." Kairi stared at him as his laughter died down and he was struck by realization, "Holy cramp, he's serious."

"You, have a girlfriend?" Tadase couldn't help but ask again to confirm it.

"Yeah...," Kairi answered, not sure what they were all worked up about.

"But, you're only in middle school!" Kukai complained, none of this seeming right.

"My girlfriend's in middle school as well." Kairi countered, still not sure what was up with them.

"Oh, is she one of your computer friends or something? You guys just going out because?" Kukai wanted these answers for a logical explanation, but Kairi couldn't give them too him. He didn't bother hiding the shock on his face. His girlfriend being thought of as a computer friend of his was just too unbelievable.

"Not exactly..." Kairi answered taking out his wallet to find a picture of her. He handed it to Kukai and the rest of them left their seats in order to get a better look at the picture. All of their eyes became wide looking at the girl in the picture. She was a cute girl, with a light shade of copper hair color pulled into pig tails, with bright hazel eyes. The picture was taken while she was jumping in mid air, her hands up high holding a pair of pom-poms and wearing a cheerleading uniform, "Her name's Yaya. She's on the cheerleading squad at my school, and I doubt she knows anything about computers or anything like that. She nice though, if you can put up with Kukai, I'm sure you could put up with her." Kairi told Amu, who was the first one to overcome the shock of it all, also in regards to her sleep over.

"That'd be great Kairi. Give her my cellphone number, and tell her she can call if she wants to come," Amu told him, excited that she had someone to invite. Not to mention she could get some information on Kairi at the party. Kairi nodded taking the picture back from Kukai, who continued to stare at his hands, where the picture had been, for a few moments.

"He's dating a cheerleader." he mumbled still in disbelief. "I want to know how _that_ works."

"I think you need to cool off." Nagihiko commented on Kukai's condition, not that he wasn't surprised himself.

"Drinks?" Tadase suggested looking over at Ikuto, their "host" who was at his guitar at the moment.

"I'm a little busy," he commented sitting on the ground beginning to put his guitar back into tune.

"I'll get them." Amu volunteered seeing how everyone else was too shocked or in Kairi's case too harassed. Plus, Amu wanted to see what the house looked like on the inside. Coming up the drive, her eyes got wide and her mouth nearly fell open. The place was like a mansion! Three stories, classic white paint, with those big clean windows, and a large front lawn. Of course they only went into the garage, which was bigger than half her apartment, but she wanted to see if it looked that big on the inside.

Boy did it! Once she went inside she felt her eyes get wide again, "Wow." she muttered to herself noticing the sleek taste in the design. She could defiantly tell the Tsukiyomi's were a rather wealthy family. Once she started looking around, she figured out, she had no idea where the kitchen was. Amu began wandering around the house in search for the kitchen. She went through a living room, a dining room (which wasn't anywhere near a kitchen for some odd reason), a private study, and stopped at a door that lead to the front. Amu wondered how Ikuto managed to get through this place without getting lost.

Just when she was about to start searching again, she heard the door click open. Freezing dead in her tracks, she turned around to see a girl, not much older than she was, begin to walk in. When she noticed Amu staring at her, she stopped as well, just as shocked to see Amu as Amu was to see her. "Who the hell are you?" she asked shaking off the surprise and glaring at the intruder.

Amu could hear the venom she put into her words that demanded an answer, but she was too stunned to reply. She just stared at this amazingly beautiful girl in front of her. She was wearing a black dress that showed she had a nice figure, but covered enough that added her own sophistication to her look. She somehow managed to make her long blonde hair look good in pig tails. Her most beautiful feature, which at the moment was also her deadliest, were her blazing sapphire eyes.

"I asked you a question." she said dropping her bag on the ground with a loud thud moving her hands to her hips, all while never taking her glare off Amu, "Who the hell are you and what the hell are you doing in my house?!"

"Th-that's two questions." Amu replied feeling the pressure her eyes were putting on her at the moment.

"And yet, I'm not hearing any answers." she pressed on making her eyes like daggers on Amu that sent a chill up Amu's spine. Amu just continued to stare, unable to answer any of them, "Are you stupid?" she asked added a splash of her attitude along taking a step forward.

"I-I'm confused," Amu told her overwhelmed by the interrogation, "What question am I answering?"

The girl sneered with anger before taking a few steps forward, making Amu back up against the handle that lead up the stairs. "Get the hell out!" the girl commanded with a powerful, echoing voice that could be heard through out the empty house.

Along with the not so empty garage. All the boys looked at the door with Ikuto setting down his guitar, "Oh no."

"What?" Kukai asked, not liking whatever voice he just heard.

"She's back early." Ikuto said before making his way to the door, with the rest following.

"Who?" Nagihiko asked, not liking the voice anymore than Kukai.

"My sister." Ikuto answered heading following the sound of the raging voice that belonged to his younger sister.

"I-I'm sorry," Amu tried to apologize for whatever she did, "I was just looking for the kitchen."

"Well, you can stop looking!" she told her annoyed by her little innocent act, she knew why that girl was in her house, and she want her the hell away from the place if she had to take her out by force. "Just get out!" she commanded the last "nice" time.

Just then, an idea it Amu that had bothered her since she noticed the girl's eyes. They had seemed somewhat familiar to her, except without the blazing rage, but with a light gleam of arrogance and smug triumphant, and... concern, and laughter, and... she shook the thoughts from her head enough to focus back and dare to ask her, "Are you related to Ikuto?"

That seemed to trigger something inside the girl, as she gritted her teeth with anger, "Why would you ask? What's it to you?"

"You have the same eyes." Amu answered the first question, seeing her reaction before she dared answer the second one. She didn't have a chance before the girl replied though.

"I know who you are." she stated plainly with disgust.

"Huh?" Amu asked, confused about the statement and why she had been asking her all those questions if she knew who she was.

"You're the type of girl that thinks she can get on good terms with a rich family by using Ikuto," she answered accusingly.

"HUH?" Amu asked even more confused than before, what the heck was she talking about.

"Don't play dumb! You know what I'm talking about." she told her not buying the dumbfounded look on Amu's face, "So I'll give you fair warning. Stay. Away. From. Ikuto!"

"Utau." both girls turned their attention to the five boys that had just come around the corner, "Stop harassing my friends, would you?" Ikuto continued, not having heard the conversation, but having gone through this routine enough to know the usual subject.

Utua stared at her brother for a long time, her eyes softer now, "Ikuto." she said in a whisper as if she were shocked to see him, Amu thought she was hurt by what he said, until, "Ikuto!" she yelled with a loving voice, jumping in the air, glomping him to the ground, "I missed you so much!" she said in high pitched excited voice hugging her brother.

"Get off!" Ikuto grunted trying to ply his sister off of him. All of them were staring at the siblings, the guys confused on how that scary sounding voice could be this girl, and Amu just in shock. Her eyes were wide with disbelief and her mouth was open.

"What kind of mood swing is that?" she muttered in disbelief of this girl who had wanted to kill her, was related to Ikuto, and was actually sweet to him. Something told Amu that she would have a hard time falling asleep that night.

**A/N:**

**Finally! I got a chance to write! Sorry for taking so long to update! My dad was hogging the computer all week! Well, that and my stupid schoolwork! Well anyway, here it is! Enjoy... I'm tired and sleep deprived so I'm making this short! With a lot of exclamation marks!!! Bye!!! **


	14. Friends, Foes, and Those Unknown

_She's a backseat driver, a drama provider_

_An instant update of the world_

_She's a first class liar, a constant forgetter._

_(She's attractive but bitter)_

_Did you scream enough to make her cry?_

_It's a turn around, turn around_

_Baby don't return to me _

_If you think, that I'm not worth your time._

_She's a lady and ladies shouldn't be messed with._

_She's a lady and ladies shouldn't be messed with._

_~She's a Lady - Forever The Sickest Kids_

"T-This is my younger sister," Ikuto had managed to make his way to the kitchen with Utau hanging onto him like a koala, "Utau." he introduced her once he threw sodas to everyone, all of them still staring at the strange girl.

"How come you didn't tell us you had a sister?!" Kukai asked offended by the lack of trust in their friendship. You'd think he'd be courteous enough to warn them he had a crazy younger sister roaming around in his home.

"Good to see you Utau." Tadase nodded to her taking her off guard long enough for Ikuto to ply her off and take a few steps away from her. She pouted at Ikuto for his actions.

"Huh?!" Kukai asked Tadase in shock, "You knew he had a sister?!"

"Well..., yeah," Tadase answered as if it were obvious, "Our families are friends, I've known them since I was three."

Kukai could understand that, but still turned to Nagihiko with a suggestive glare that he knew something, "I didn't know either." he answered honestly, which was surprising, considering Nagihiko seemed to know everything somehow. Nodding an approval to Nagihiko, he shifted his accusing glare to Ikuto.

"I didn't tell you," Ikuto started, the annoyance already in his voice, "Because she's hardly ever here anyway. There's no point in you knowing if you never saw her."

Kukai shifted his look over to Utau, who was still pouting, apparently upset he didn't ever talk about her, "Well, I see her _now_!" moving his hands the way Vanna White presented a letter, only he was presenting Utau. Her pouting expression turning to a glare towards Kukai. There went the mood swing again.

"Yeah," Ikuto countered now looking annoyed at Utau, "That's because she's early. Aren't you suppose to be at school?" Ikuto spoke to Utau at the last part.

"I already took all my tests," Utau muttered her reason looking away from Ikuto, "I didn't see the point in going to class on the last few days before break. Besides," Utau changed her tone and looked at Ikuto with a smile, "I wanted to see you." she told him lightheartedly before jumping towards him again. This time, Ikuto was prepared and dodged her. She attempted a few more times, Ikuto dodging all of them with hardly any effort. "You're so mean." Utau pouted finally giving up.

"So I've been told." Ikuto responded with a hint of sarcasm, "Now let's get back to practice." Ikuto commanded beginning to leave the kitchen with his unopened can of soda.

"Practice?" Utau asked curiously, examining the people in the room. She only recognized Tadase, but she couldn't imagine what this group was doing together. A guy thing maybe, except, _that girl_. She was unnaturally calm, just sipping her soda following the conversation silently. There was just something about her that bothered Utau. "What kind of practice?"

"None of your bui-" Ikuto started to say to get his sister to leave him alone, but as usual, he was cut short.

"Band practice." Kukai told Utau with a thumbs up to show his enthusiasm to her, "That is temporarily pointless since we don't have anything to practice with!" he added to make Amu twitch.

"I get it already!" Amu said clutching her can tightly, on the verge of crushing the can, "Would you let it go?!"

"I'll let it go when-Ouch!!!" Kukai was prepared to get into another rant until he was stopped by a swift hit in the back of the head, delivered by Nagihiko.

"Don't start that again." he explained the hit before Kukai had a chance to ask. Kukai just crossed his arms over his chest and turned away from the group, his own way of pouting.

"Band huh?" Utau commented in disbelief, they didn't seem to act like a band.

"Hard to believe, isn't it?" Tadase asked Utau sensing what she was thinking, "But, we all can somehow come together and have some fun. I play the bass."

"I play second guitar," Nagihiko introduced himself with his instrument, "Ikuto plays the lead."

"I'm the drummer!" Kukai told her, gaining back his energy at the mention of instruments. Utau looked between them all trying to get the image into her mind.

She turned to Kairi with a look that wanted answers from him, "I'm just the manager." he answered her silent question putting his hands in the air as a way to defend himself.

"Uh," Amu started nervously when Utau turned her glare on her, "I-I'm the singer."

"Is that so?" Utau asked her suspiciously. Why would she want to be in a band with a bunch of guys? Even Utau had to admit none of them were bad looking. She thought it was obvious why she joined the band, just to get close to these guys. That thought just pissed her off having a girl like that hanging around Ikuto all the time, "Why would you want to join a band?"

"To get some cool music playing!" Kukai answered adding some hand motions to show him playing invisible drums. Utau looked back at him with an annoyed expression, everyone either looking confused, or in Amu's case, sweat dropping. "What? Was that question not for everyone?" he asked noticing their expressions.

Utau rolled her eyes at the boy, looking back at Amu, impatiently waiting for an answer, "I kind of didn't choice at the beginning." Amu admitted thinking back at the first impression on the band. She thought they were insane, after she had been physically dragged over to the auditions.

"Come on, we didn't any other options," Kukai countered before she started complaining about them forcing her into the band, whether it was true or not. "If you don't have any other options," Amu said calmly with a sweet smile, "Then stop complaining about my songwriting or you'll be without a singer." Kukai was about to respond, but he stopped with his mouth open with his hand still pointing at Amu. He never considered that. After his moment of realization he closed his mouth and brought his hand up to his chin thinking of how to respond.

Utau couldn't believe the characters that were here. "You wouldn't do that to us." Ikuto said slyly putting his arm on Amu's shoulder as if they were best friends, Amu looking up at him suspiciously, "Would you Amu?"

"Don't think I won't," Amu answered standing her ground, but she didn't like the sarcastic tone in his question.

"Didn't you say last night that you wanted to be apart of the band?" Ikuto asked already knowing the answer, especially with Amu's twitching face making it plainly obvious.

"When did she say that?" Kukai asked trying to remember.

"I don't think she told us." Tadase answered him, knowing he'd remember that kind of detail.

"Guess we're out of the loop." Kairi commented within the group.

"So she really _does_ like being in the band." Nagihiko mused all of them coming closer to her.

"Admit it Amu," Kukai commanded teasingly nudging her in the side, "You like us!"

"Ikuto." Amu said making a glare up to him, but without it's usual threat considering the added pink in her cheeks from embarrassment, "This is the last time I'm telling you anything!" she complained with Ikuto only shrugging with an amused smile at the group.

Utau watched them in disbelief. They were all so comfortable with one another, so natural. Especially Ikuto around them. Carefree on the comments he made, his expressions, and...his actions. How could he just put his arm around that girl naturally?! How could she just think nothing of it?! Rage was burning inside Utau watching them all, her body trembling from her anger.

"Ikuto..." she stated no louder than a whisper, but enough to get everyone's attention, "You...you..." continued in a whisper. Amu looked concerned at her, she could see she was upset, but she couldn't imagine why. "YOU IDIOT!!!" she shouted at him jumping on him pushing him back to the ground. Everyone else just stared at the them in shock, as Utau began chanting 'idiot' repeatedly while hitting Ikuto.

"She..." Amu started unable to describe Utau's rapid change.

"...Snapped?" Nagihiko suggested all of them continuing to watch in shock at their guitarist getting hit by a girl.

"You would you knock it off?!" Ikuto asked more as a command pushing Utau back.

"Why?!" Utau asked with a pained expression on her face, "Why can you be so open and carefree with them, but not me?! Don't you know how that makes me feel?!"

"Makes you feel?" Ikuto asked still pushing her back not sure what she was talking about and really didn't want to know the answer anyway.

"I'm...a little confused." Kukai stated everyone else nodding simultaneously.

Hearing this Utau stood up looking at them, "Got a problem?!" she asked challenging them, none of them voicing their opinions. "I won't lose against anyone with my feelings of love for Ikuto!"

Amu cocked her head, looking at her with a hint of admiration. She could tell Utau didn't like her, but maybe it was because she was a good sister, "But, why you?!" Utau asked directing the 'you' towards Amu, "There had never been a girl Ikuto has been interested in." Utau said calmer as if she were just talking to herself.

Now, Amu was more confused than before. She looked at Ikuto sitting on the ground, still shocked by Utau's attack. Amu couldn't believe he had never had a friend that was a girl,...or a girlfriend. Amu felt a demonic presence come up behind her making her jump. She looked back to see Utau blazing in a rage. The other band members, smart enough to back up and out of the way.

"I've driven away all the bad pests that got close to Ikuto." said told her threateningly, that explains it.

"H-Hang on! Y-You got it all wrong! I don't have a single thing for Ikuto!" she tried to defend herself unsuccessfully, as she felt herself being pulled back into an embrace.

"You're cold." Ikuto commented to Amu who was confused on what he was doing, "After we spent all night in the park yesterday."

"Huh?" Amu asked blushing from the position, and his comment. "What?!"

"I can't forgive you!" Utau told her with an evil voice to her. Scaring Amu at the moment, just as Ikuto released her. Had he done that just to make his sister mad at her? Either way, Amu was going to hurt him, unless Utau got to her first. "I'll never lose to you!" Amu was frozen with a shocked expression.

"Let's go back to practice." Ikuto commanded calmly as if nothing had happened.

"Alright! Let's play some Aerosmith next!" Kukai suggested following Ikuto with Tadase and Kairi right behind him.

"Wait for me Ikuto! I want to here you play!" Utau called for him with a loving voice, chasing after him.

"Amu?" Nagihiko asked, the only waiting behind for her. She was still in a frozen state at the moment, "Are you alright?" he asked putting a hand on her shoulder.

Amu dropped her head in defeat, "I'm so confused!"

-

-

"Unbelievable." Rima muttered at lunch the moment she sat down.

"What?!" Amu asked snapping back to reality. She hadn't slept in two days, and still made no progress with her song. She had managed to sleep through her few classes, and now, she was even starting to nod off while she was eating.

"Everyone's busy!" Rima complained. It took Amu a moment to realize she was referring to their sleep over. "This can't be just a coincidence."

"What do you mean?" trying her best to stay awake to hear Rima.

"I mean," Rima began trying to put to words her theory, "That someone is trying to-"

"There you are Rima-chan!" Rima was cut off by a high pitched voice, a familiar one by Rima's annoyed expression. Amu looked over to the girl she recognized from art class, the one that always had a group of girls following her.

"What do you want Saaya?" Rima demanded, not in the mood to deal with her today.

"I just wanted to drop by to give you an invitation," she explained with a smile, "To my sleep over this Friday." she explained making Rima look at her in surprise. Amu just kept eating her meal, too sleep deprived to notice what that statement meant.

"What?" Rima asked in disbelief at this girl.

"Yes. I'd love it if you could come." she added before looking over at Amu with a sneer getting Amu's blank look as her attention, "Sorry Hinamori, but for the sake of my social status, I can't afford to invite any losers to my party."

"Ok," Amu answered plainly, still a bit zoned out as she kept eating ignoring Saaya. Saaya herself seemed to be angry from her response. Saaya gained back her composure before turning back to Rima, "So, can I count on you?"

"Not interested." Rima answered with an emotionless voice, hiding how pissed off she was at the moment.

"Well..." Saaya looked stunned by her response, "The invitation stands, if you change your mind." she told her before leading her passé to another table.

"That bitch." Amu was shocked by Rima's blunt statement, especially she could feel the waves of anger coming off her, "She knew."

"I'm sure it's just a coincidence," Amu tried to reassure her, as Rima blew off steam by ripping some pages in her unused composition book.

"Yeah, well, whatever it is, I couldn't get anyone to come," Rima grumbled irritated at the girls that had chosen Saaya's party over their own, and Saaya for being a jealous bitch because Amu was always around Tadase, "So, what are we going to do now?"

"Kairi invited his girlfriend for us," Amu said catching Rima curious look, "The guys do know about the sleep over you know," Amu reminded her Rima giving a faint nod at the recognition.

"It won't be fun with just us and another girl we don't even know," Rima added her complaint, she was annoyed on how her plan had backfired on her.

"Well...," Amu started, thinking of a solution, when an idea, a dangerous idea came to mind, "I'm going to try to invite some more people after school." Amu said with a nervous tone, this was either brilliant or stupid, or maybe both.

-

-

Amu stared at the door for a moment, with a last minute debate on whether to knock or not. She still couldn't believe she was here, especially since practice was suspended until the song was written. She took a deep breath as a way to calm her nerves as she brought her fist up to hit the door with a few steady knocks.

"I'm coming." she heard someone inside call, conveniently it was the person she was here for. Utau opened the door with a confused look, not expecting any company, that quickly changed to a death glare once she saw Amu.

"He-" Amu began to greet until Utau slammed the door an inch from her face. Amu sweat dropped at this; she hadn't even gotten a word out. She knocked again a little more confident than before.

"Can't you take a hint?!" Utau demanded opening the door again, Amu could have sworn their were daggers in her eyes.

"Can I come in?" Amu asked avoiding the question.

"No." Utau stated simply slamming the door again. Amu grunted a little at this, knowing that was a stupid question. She knocked again louder and more accretive.

"What?!" Utau practically screamed, making Amu finch back from her tone, "I don't know what you want, but Ikuto's not here, so leave."

"I'm not here to see Ikuto," Amu blurted out stopping Utau from slamming the door for the third time, long enough to get to her point, "I want to talk to you."

"Me?" Utau asked, making sure she'd heard right, "Why?" she asked crossing her arms over her chest to stand her ground. She wanted to stay on her guard with this girl.

"Well..," Amu began trying to find the words, she hadn't planned this far ahead, "I-I know we got off...on the wrong foot, and I just wanted to apologize for...not looking at things in your perspective." Amu explained her voice a little shaky from the glare Utau had been giving her, until she mentioned the last part, then Utau's expression was just dumbfounded.

"What do you mean?" she asked, she didn't have a clue where Amu was going with that.

"Well...," Amu smiled shyly having successfully softened Utau enough to talk to her, "I'm a protective sister too, so I kind of get where you're coming from." shocked was an understatement for what Utau felt that moment just staring at this girl. Was she trying to play her as a fool to get on her good side? Utau couldn't tell.

"Hmm." Utau muttered just thinking to herself, but Amu took that as a good side since there was no insult or threat given. That's when she dared the second part of her reasoning.

"Plus..., I wanted to ask a favor." Amu admitted watching Utau carefully.

"_Favor_?" Utau asked saying the word with venom in her voice. She knew there had to be a catch to all this kindness.

"Yeah," Amu admitted flinching a little from her voice again, "Uh...tomorrow night, my friend, Rima, and I are having a sleep over at my house, and I was wondering...if you weren't busy...if you wanted to come." Amu managed to get out, Utau's face showing her disbelief.

"Why?" she asked, too shocked to remember to add her attitude into her voice, or at least hide her shock.

"Well..." Amu started, smiling again from Utau's surprise, "I thought that since you're only here for a few weeks, and Ikuto's not home all the time, that you would be lonely cooped up in your house." Utau looked at her questioningly at that, what would she care about that? "Plus...," Amu added with a genuine smile to Utau, "I think we could be good friends."

Utau just stared at her for a moment, not sure how to respond to her. She hated her, so she obviously didn't want to be her friend. Then again, Utau had never been anything like a sleep over before. Plus, she could find out more about her enemy.

Amu giggled lightly at the girl who was as frozen as she was after getting threatened the day before, "Just think about it, and ask Ikuto for my cellphone number and tell me if you're coming," Amu suggested.

Utau glared at the girl again, Amu having caught her mistake began to defend herself, "I swear, he only has it for band practice updates..., and once to scare the hell out of me." Utau reluctantly nodded refusing to look at Amu. Amu smiled again, happy to have seemed to have made some kind of progress, "I'll see you later then." she said waving good bye as she ran off the porch heading to the bus stop not too far away.

Once Amu was out of sight, Utau shut the door and walked over to the kitchen, just as Ikuto came walking down the steps, "Hmm?" he asked confused by Utau's zoned out face,"Who was at the door?"

"Amu." Utau muttered watching Ikuto's face looked somewhat surprised and partial concerned.

"Is she still at the door?" he asked, wondering if his sister had killed her on the steps or something.

"No," Utau answer with a melancholy voice, "She left." Now Ikuto was watching her carefully, what had made her seem so...out of it? "Hey Ikuto," Utau started kind of reluctant to ask, "Do you have Amu's cellphone number?"

"Yeah?" Ikuto answered confused by the question, what did she want with it? "Can I write it down?" she asked grabbing a pen and a scrap piece of paper.

"Why?" Ikuto asked putting his hand on his pocket protectively where his cellphone was.

"I need to call her." Utau told him looking away embarrassed by the statement.

"Why?" Ikuto asked, the confusion not close to clearing. He reached for a bottle of water in the fridge as he waited for Utau to answer the question.

"I...I'm going to her sleep over." Utau finally admitted with a blush from embarrassment, not wasn't help by Ikuto chocking on his water he had been drinking.

"Huh?!" he couldn't believe it. Utau just held her hand out which he just put his phone into for her to get the number. When she had finished writing the number, she threw the phone back to Ikuto and retreated to her room for some privacy. "This can't be good." Ikuto muttered to himself, and began dialing a few numbers.

-

-

"So...what's the problem exactly?" Kukai asked after Ikuto finished explaining about Utau going to Amu's party. He couldn't believe this was important enough to call everyone over on such short notice to discuss this issue.

"Think," Tadase told him, having known Utau for so long, already knew why this was bad, "Utau hates Amu because she's always around Ikuto. What do you think she would do to Amu if she got the opportunity to? Amu's just too naive to realize she's inviting the enemy into her home."

"While that makes sense," Kairi commented taking a step forward in the consideration, "What can we do about it?"

"We need to find a way to know what's going on at that party." Ikuto stated making all the guys look at him as if he were insane.

"Are you insane?!" along with Kukai, open enough to just say it.

"I know what Utau has done to girls that got too close to be before," Ikuto stated thinking back to all those incidents before, and how this was the first time he actually cared about stopping Utau's rage, "Trust me, we want to keep our singer."

"I see your point." Tadase commented knowing exactly what Ikuto was referring to.

"Well, there's only one way in..." Kukai stated adding a pause to get everyone's attention, "We need some serious undercover work. We have to put Tadase in a dress."

"No way in hell!" Tadase told him before Kukai had a chance to talk any more, "I refuse!"

"Do it for the band man!" Kukai tried to reason with him.

"Why don't you do it then?!" Tadase asked pointing at Kukai to take some responsibility

"Because, I would probably forget to act girly, as oppose to it coming naturally to you," Kukai explained, both insulting and saving himself at the same time, "All you need is a wig, and a false identity of an identical cousin."

"No!" Tadase told him for the final time, "I'm not going to do it! It wouldn't work anyway, Utau's known me forever, she knows I'm an only child with no cousins."

"Rats!" Kukai commented putting that into consideration, "Kairi!"

"I don't want any part of this." Kairi answered before he got the chance to explain what it would take to make him a girl, "Besides, my _girlfriend _will be there, remember?"

"How long are you going to rub that in?" Kukai demanded, getting the point that Kairi is out, "Iku-"

"You've got to be kidding." Ikuto commented looking down at Kukai.

"Yeah, you'd make an ugly girl." Kukai added just to make himself feel better. "Well, come on, if you walk the walk, how much could they really notice?" Kukai asked doing his demonstration of a girl's walk.

"That's not how a girl walks." Nagihiko told him, making all the guys look at him confused, "Girls move their hips, and sometimes while raising their feet in heels." the guys looked at one another before they all stared at Nagihiko with mischievous smiles, "What?" Nagihiko asked with a sweat drop, afraid of the answer.

"You live with a house full of women at your house, right?" Tadase asked.

"Oh no," Nagihiko commented, already knowing where this conversation was going.

"And haven't you had to fill in for a few injured female dancers before, posing as a girl?" Kukai asked his smile growing wider.

"Nagihiko, my friend," Ikuto said, putting his arm around him like they were good friends, "This is what I like to call, sweet revenge."

**A/N:**

**Whoa! Finally posted it! Wow I'm really hyper right now! Well, I had trouble finishing this because I was sad after reading chapter 45 of shugo chara! Am I the only one sad about those three?! I loved those guys! I won't say anything specific for those who hate spoilers, but now I'm curious about how the next chapter's going to go! Well..., I'm not in a ranting mood really..., so enjoy! XD **


	15. Come On In

_Ooh what a funky lady_

_She like it, like it, like it, like that,_

_Ooh he was a lady_

_(That, that) Dude looks like a lady _

_(That, that) Dude looks like a lady_

_~Dude (Looks Like A Lady) - Aerosmith (I couldn't resist :P)_

"Da dah!" Amu's father presented his handy work to the two girls putting food out on the kitchen table. They glanced up to see a yellow banner with the word party in cursive colored in red. They both sweat dropped at the thing.

"Thanks Dad." Amu offered him giving him the satisfaction of a job well done. Rima just sighed, trying her best not to voice her own opinion on the banner. "You didn't have to help us set up you know?" Amu added feeling guilty for waking him up when they were going through Amu's CD collection for music to play. Turns out her collection was limited on any dance music Rima had been looking for to lighten the atmosphere.

"It's not a problem girls," he reassured his daughter a waterfall of tears overcoming him for the hundredth time that night, "I just am going to miss my sparrow so much!" he cried to Amu pulling her into another embrace. Rima found his fatherly instincts too strong for her taste, but also felt a twinge of warmth at the same time for how much he cared for his daughter.

"It's only a weekend Dad," Amu reassured him, again, patting his back sympathetically, "I'll be fine, but....are you sure you want to take Ami with you on a business trip?" Amu asked with her own concern for her sister, who was at the moment throwing random things into her supposed suitcase, her real one already packed in the car.

"I prepared a father-daughter weekend for us," he assured his daughter with confidence in his careful planning. Amu was still uneasy about keeping her younger sister in her father's care. Sure, he was a wonderful father, just, there were times he could be...forgetful. "Plus," Tsugumu added reading his daughters expression, putting an assuring hand on her shoulder, "I want you to enjoy some time to yourself this weekend."

Amu smiled kindly to her father. She knew he always had her best interest in mind. He always felt guilty for putting so much responsibility on his daughter, a little break was what she needed. "Ah-hem." they looked over to see Rima giving them a blank look, making them both sweat drop.

"Well..," Tsugumu back tracked rubbing the back of his head with a nervous smile, "Alone for the most part." Rima nodded her mild approval before focusing on adding more snacks on the kitchen table.

"Thanks," Amu told him with a light hug, before he could get any more emotional, Ami made her way down the stairs with a small suitcase she could carry with her coat on that made her look like a pink marshmallow, "All packed Ami?" Amu asked once her sister shuffle ran to her, hugging her leg.

"Onee-chan come too!" Ami begged for the hundredth time, which she had been doing ever since she found out that Amu would be staying home for this trip. Amu wasn't any happier than Ami was about the situation. This was the first time, in a long time, Ami would be away from Amu for a night. She was still a little nervous about it, especially since this was a whole weekend.

"Don't worry Amu," her father told her, getting both his daughter's attention, "Ami and I can have a lot of fun together. Won't we Ami?" he asked Ami with a fond smile.

"No! I want Onee-chan!" Ami whined with a pouting expression, hugging onto Amu's leg tighter.

"Ami-chan!" Tsugumu screamed with a waterfall of tears, as he went running away to his private sanctuary. Amu sweat dropped with some nervous laughter when she noticed Rima staring at the display.

"You're dad's kind of sensitive, isn't he." Rima told her, amazed on how this family got through the day.

"Y-yeah," Amu admitted, thinking about all the fits her father threw. As if on cue, Amu heard a knock on the door. Amu and Rima had a short stare off neither making a move. "I'll get it." Amu gave in with a sigh. She dragged her way to the door, Ami still clinging onto her leg. Amu slung the door open once she was close enough to reach the knob. She nearly fell forward, in front of the person at the door, who at the moment was staring at her like she was insane. "Hey!" Amu greeted her with a sudden burst of enthusiasm.

"I was afraid I had the right house." Utau commented surveying the place. She was sketchy about the apartment building before she bothered heading up the stairs to the one Amu lived in. There was indeed a huge difference between where she lived and where Amu lived.

"Come on in," Amu added with a friendly tone, taking no offense to Utau's earlier comment. Utau entered and threw her backpack with her basic supplies by the door where Rima had thrown her suitcase a couple hours earlier. Utau and Rima met one another's looks. After a moment of neither of them making a move Amu went ahead with introductions, "Utau, this is my best friend Rima. Rima, this is Utau, she's Ikuto's younger sister."

"I didn't know Ikuto had a sister." Rima commented to her not really caring about the matter. Utau just nodded, equally bored with the question. She looked down, and noticed the little person hanging onto Amu's leg.

"This is my sister, Ami." Amu introduced her, noticing Utau's stare.

"Nice to meet cha'!" Ami greeted Utau excitedly, releasing her hold on Amu's leg and standing in front of Utau, waving at her. The same greeting she gave Rima not too long ago. Utau just stared down at the girl, just nodding her greeting. Amu shook her head at the two's exchange.

"Dad! Get out of the bathroom!" Amu called for her father after noticing the time.

"No!" he replied stubbornly, "Ami-chan doesn't love me anymore!" Amu could tell he was both sulking and crying.

"If you don't leave now you're going to hit heavy traffic!" Amu yelled at him, pulling on the lock door knob, in an attempt to open the door. "Open the door!"

"I don't want to go anywhere!" he complained tuning out his daughter's persistent banging on the door.

"Dad! This isn't suppose to be all fun! Did you forget the _business_ part of the trip?" Utau and Rima both stared in disbelief at Amu, trying to get her father out of the bathroom. Both sweat dropping.

"Is this 'normal'?" Utau asked Rima, wondering what she had gotten herself into.

"I guess." Rima answered, not sure what to make of the situation herself. She wasn't sure about anything in the family, even after being here for a while.

"AHHH!" Amu's father rushed out of the bathroom in a panic, nearly plowing over his daughter. "'llseeyouonMonday!" he rushed his goodbye grabbing Ami hand the hand and running out the door.

"Bye-bye Onee-chan!" Ami managed to give out with a wave before going out the door. All three girls just stared at the door for a minute, then Rima and Utau turned their stares to Amu.

"Aheheh..." Amu laughed nervously.

"So..." Utau said changing the subject to something a little more, normal per-say, "Is this everyone?"

"No," Amu answered, grateful that nothing was asked family wise, "Two more girls are coming."

"Two?" Rima asked, suddenly freezing in place, her emotionless stare directed on Amu, "What do you mean two?" she asked, the first time ever hearing anything about this.

"Oh, did I not tell you?" Amu asked, suddenly wishing she could admit her father was slightly insane, "Uh, Nagihiko asked if his sister could come, since she's coming home this weekend and doesn't know anyone in the area." Amu explained watching Rima for her reaction.

"His sister?" RIma asked, unaware that he had any siblings

"Yeah, his twin sister." Amu confirmed with a nod, "She travels around dancing, it sounds exciting." Amu added still amazed by that. Rima stared at Amu suspiciously, something about the situation just didn't sound right to her.

"Great," Utau muttered looking around the small apartment, her gazed settling on the kitchen table, which contained piles of junk food, "That's a lot of food for five people." Utau said with a sweat drop.

"Is it?" Amu asked looking at the table, "I wasn't sure how much to get. I've never been to a sleep over before." Amu admitted with an embarrassed smile, Rima still deep in thought, was oblivious at the moment.

"Then why throw one?" Utau asked making it sound like she thought Amu was pathetic. She'd rather die than admit to her she'd never been to one herself.

Before Amu could reply with the reason, there was a knock, well... more like repeated banging on the door, "I'll get it." Amu answered, getting excited now. She swung the door open.

"Hey ya!" the cheerful girl greeted them with a perky smile and a friendly wave. Amu recognized her as the girl from the photo Kairi showed her, she was much prettier in person. "I'm Yaya! Nice to meet cha'!"

"Oh! Nice to meet you." Amu added getting nervous, she'd never met her before, and this was an interesting way to formally meet, not that she'd met anyone in an ordinary way in this town. "Come on in." Amu said moving to the door to close it behind Yaya. She pranced in with a graceful yet youthful manner.

"You must be Amu-chan!" Yaya observed, "Your hair gives you away." she added seeming excited herself.

"Yeah," Amu agreed before she was suddenly taken by surprise, when Yaya glomped her into a hug.

"I'm so happy to finally get to meet you!" Yaya exclaimed with joy, "I've heard so much about you and the other band members!"

"I-I. Can't. Breath." Amu told her struggling to get out of her embrace. She was worse than Ami.

"Sorry!" Yaya apologized releasing her hold on Amu. Utau rolled her eyes and sighed. If this was Amu's idea of normal company, than this was going to be a long night. "Wow! Look at all the food!" Yaya noticed heading towards the table, Rima and Utau following her to get some food themselves.

Amu was about to follow, when she heard a light tap on the door. Surprised, by the next guest arriving so soon, she opened the door carefully to see the person outside. "Good evening." she greeted Amu with a light and delicate voice.

Amu was amazed by the girl, smiling sweetly at her. "I'm Nadeshiko." she introduced herself. Amu just froze staring at her.

-

-

"He does this a little too well," Kukai noticed after "Nadeshiko" was into the house and sitting around the table talking to all the girls about nothing in particular while making a dent in the mountain of junk food, "Should we be worried?"

"Maybe a little." Tadase agreed, also amazed by how well Nagihiko could pull off being a girl, "I kind of feel sorry for the poor guy."

"I don't." Ikuto said boldly, with a mischievous smile. He was enjoying this more than he should. "It's amusing."

"Yeah," Kukai answered with a chuckle, "Guess we have rep to thank for that." Kukai said slapping Kairi on the back.

"Just so you know," Kairi added to make his point, "I don't approve of this."

"You're the one that suggested putting a little camera thing on his shirt," Kukai pointed out, while pointing to the computer screen they were all currently seated around. "Admit it. You want to know what's going on as much as we do."

"Not like this," Kairi defended himself, feeling ashamed for this, "It's kind of immoral, don't you think?"

"Not if you don't think about it." Kukai answered simply as if that was the solution to all problems.

"Doesn't make it anymore right." Tadase muttered to himself more than to Kukai.

"Think of it more as a documentary," Ikuto suggested, shrugging off the conversation, "You know, learn something."

"What are we going to learn from listening to this?" Kairi asked referring to this as the conversation on the screen. Right now, they only saw Amu and Yaya laughing about a joke that was made, but whenever Nagi turned they saw either Rima or Utau.

"Nothing," Kukai admitted looking from the screen to Kairi with a serious expression, "And everything."

"Really?" Tadase asked sarcastically, of course getting the wrong idea about Kukai's comment on _everything_.

"Yeah." Kukai nodded, oblivious to how that statement sounded perverted, "Plus, we're about to figure out the question every guy wants to know," he added pausing for suspense, "What the hell girls do at these things!"

"Every guy wants to know that?" Ikuto asked just to see how far he'd go.

"Yeah, whether they know it or not." Kukai reasoned and Kairi just rolled his eyes at the supposed "male bonding" that they used as an excuse for this.

"We'll see a cat fight if we're not careful," Tadase commented, thinking back to all the times Utau had encountered a girl that liked Ikuto. Nothing pretty.

"What's with the brooch?" all the guys jumped at the question, then quickly focused back on the computer screen.

"Aren't those a bit out of style?" Rima asked Nadeshiko looking intently at the heart shaped brooch pinned to her sweater.

"I guess I'm just into these kinds of things," Nadeshiko replied smiling shyly and shrugging her shoulders.

"It looks very classy." Yaya complimented her accessory, "Like a proper lady would wear."

"My mother actually wears these all the time," Nadeshiko added with a nod as if she knew what Yaya was referring to. Then everyone looked over at Amu who was muffling her laughter, "Hmm?"

"It's nothing," Amu assured Nadeshiko, her shoulders still shaking with laughter, "You and Nagihiko just look so much alike."

_No kidding_, Nadeshiko thought holding back a sigh of aggravation by giggling lightly, trying to see the humor in the joke, "So I've been told."

"I just thought for a second that that's how Nagihiko would look like in a skirt." Amu admitted giggling to herself a little, Yaya laughing along. Utau just rolled her eyes with a light smile on her lips, and Rima still seemed emotionless. Nadeshiko forced a smile all the while thinking,_ You have no idea how right you are_, while feeling even more pissed off at Kukai for suggesting he go all out girly to keep from look suspicious, even if it meant putting on a skirt.

"Hey, Amu-chan?" Yaya asked getting Amu's attention, "Is it fun?"

"Is what fun?" Amu asked, confused by the question.

"You know," Yaya persisted leaning toward Amu as if her answer what the most interesting thing in the world, "Being in a band with a bunch of guys."

"Huh?" Amu was taken back by the random question.

"Yeah, tell us Amu." Utau urged her with an edge to her voice, "_How_ is it?"

"Uh?" Amu started, suddenly afraid to answer the question.

"I'm curious too," Amu was struck with a twinge of betrayal, even Rima was asking questions, "You're always hanging out with them, but do you like that?"

"I..." Amu began everyone had their eyes on her, more eyes than she knew, "I guess it's alright." Amu answered with a shrug, not sure how to answer any other way, when different people wanted to hear different answers.

"I bet it's tons of fun!" Yaya guessed with some confidence in her voice, "Does the band need anymore members helping?" Yaya asked with a bit of curiosity and hopefulness in her voice.

"Uh..." Amu started, not sure how to break to her, "I think we're all set actually." Yaya pouted, seemingly disappointed with the answer.

"Maybe for the instruments," Utau commented taking a chocolate chip cookie from one of the bags on the table, "But there are plenty of other things people could help with in making a band's performance great."

"I guess that's true," Amu agreed, "We wouldn't have gotten the audition without Kairi after all."

"Plus, you need people to advertise for the band," Rima added, although when it came to their band, there wouldn't be much advertising needed.

"Hmm..." Yaya started thinking, "I promised Kairi-kun I'd help with the band anyway I could, but I don't know how." she said still thinking on what she really could do.

"I'm sure there's something you could help with," Nadeshiko assured her with a smile, amused by how she wanted to help the band, "What are you good at?"

"Well...," Yaya thought of her aspects that could help the band...but none came to mind. She thought of all the pictures of the band Kairi had taken to show her, and her mind lingered on Amu specifically. A thought suddenly came to her mind. She turned her glance over to Amu, and looked her up and down with a sly smile playing on her lips.

"Uh.." Amu asked, suddenly shy and nervous about her look.

"I think I have a way to help." Yaya stated with an innocent look, that implied something much more devious in her mind.

**A/N:**

**Blah! I don't know why, but I just completely forgot to update my story last week. Ahaha, gomen, I didn't mean to forget, I was just really irritated with Shugo Chara, I just wasn't in the mood for it. All because the stupid anime ruined the Amuto scene! Ugh! It was so much more meaningful in the manga and the anime just screwed it up! Well, that's my opinion anyway, but I guess it shouldn't surprise me. Manga usually is better than the anime. Enjoy! I hate to end on a cliffy, but this chapter would be too long if I included all the torture that's in the next chapter...ah! You know to much! :P **


	16. Just a Little Change

_Never fit the crowd. Nothing gets me down. Never scared to dream._

_If I hear something can't be done. I'm gonna prove them wrong._

_Make everybody believe_

_If I had the chance I would change it all._

_That's what I'm ready to see._

_~If I Had It My Way - Emma Roberts_

"I have just the thing!" the girls heard Yaya squeal in Amu's bathroom, that was across the hall from her room, where the other three girls waited patiently for Yaya and Amu to emerge from the bathroom, "Come on! You know you want to!"

"Don't I get a say in this?!" they heard Amu complain. Nadeshiko, or Nagihiko, was starting to get nervous about the situation.

"Maybe we should make sure they're alright." Nadeshiko suggested to Utau and Rima who both looked boredly around the room.

"I'm sure they're fine." Utau answered, not that it really assured Nagihiko, he knew that she didn't really care about what happened to Amu.

"Yeah." Rima agreed unconcerned about Nadeshiko's apparent worry, as she rummaged through Amu's desk drawer.

"Uh..." Nadeshiko asked with a sweat drop, "What are you doing?"

"Snooping." Rima answered pulling out a manga that was in the drawer and flipping through the pages. Nadeshiko stared at her wondering how she could always be so blunt about everything. When Nadeshiko looked away from Rima, "she" only noticed Utau looking through the drawer in Amu's nightstand by her bed. What is with these girls?

-

-

"What's with these girls?" Kukai asked having read Nagihiko's mind (not knowingly of course).

"Who knows." Ikuto answered, not really interested in what those girls were doing.

"Hey Kairi," Tadase asked, having had the thought on his mind for a while, "What do you think Yaya's doing?"

"I'm not sure," Kairi answered truthfully. He could never tell what was going on in Yaya's mind, "I don't think she's a threat though, so there's really nothing to worry about." Kairi assured them, not that they were really worried about Amu at the moment. Yaya looked harmless enough.

"Ehh!" Kukai complained with a groan, dropping his head against his chair, "I'm starving."

"I don't see how, you ate _my_ taiyaki" Tadase grumbled under his breath, still sore. He hated how Ikuto and Kukai took everything from him.

"Ah, would you get over it already! I said I was sorry." Kukai told him, hating how Tadase could hold a grudge, "Go get food." he told Ikuto.

"Get it yourself." Ikuto responded tiredly, without even bothering to look at him.

"I would..., but," Kukai started embarrassed to give him the honest answer, "Whenever I try to go into your house alone, I always end up getting lost."

"Really," Ikuto asked staring at Kukai now, just thinking about how unbelievable that _should_ be. "Fine." Ikuto answered getting up. It wasn't like anything exciting was going on anyway.

"And drinks, while you're up." Tadase threw in

"What do I look like to you?" Ikuto asked not liking all these requests.

"The host." Kairi answered earning an arched eyebrow from Ikuto. It was amazing how he was suddenly starting to act more comfortable around everyone, even enough to add in a few comments. Instead of making a comeback, he just left without saying a word.

"Girls don't do very much at these things, do they?" Kukai asked once Ikuto had left the room, just out of boredom.

"They haven't even been there that long," Tadase answered, but not really confident in answering what they might do. He didn't have a clue.

Kukai was about to ask another question when something caught their eyes on the screen.

-

-

"This looks interesting," Rima muttered getting Nadeshiko's attention. She held a normal looking composition notebook with "Property of Amu" written in sharpie on the front. Nadeshiko didn't she how that was interesting. It probably just had her homework in it, which may be why she thought it was interesting anyway.

She was about to open the book and skim the pages, when she heard the door open a bit and Yaya enter with a bright smile on her face. Rima swiftly hide the notebook behind her back before Yaya noticed it, "Hey ya!" Yaya greeted them with a giddy attitude.

"Hey." Nadeshiko responded with a bright smile "herself", seeing as Utau and Rima weren't going to respond, being too preoccupied with looking innocent from their recent snooping.

"You guys ready?" Yaya asked excitedly. The girls just nodded, none of them sure what they were suppose to be ready for, "Then presenting, Amu Hinamori," she introduced her, just like a cheerleader, and flinging the door open, "Duh Da!"

...Da duh...was an understatement, Nadeshiko's eyes growing wide with shock. Sure it was Amu, but she looked, so...different. You wouldn't think she would, Yaya just taking the liberty to put her into a different outfit, but...she sure did. Yaya had given her a fitting, sleeveless black shirt with red lace around the top elastic. A white t-shirt underneath that had top part of the shirt cut off with scissors, leaving only a piece of the sleeves that went down her arm, but revealing her shoulders. Then, Yaya had managed to get her to wear a red and black checkered skirt. The first shock Nagihiko had, was of course Amu wearing a_ skirt_! He'd never seen her in a skirt before. Nothing but jeans, and kapries on one occasion, but a skirt, never. Now, seeing her in one, he couldn't understand why. The mini skirt showed her long, considering her height, and slender legs. Her shirt clung to her sides, revealing all her curves no one even knew she had. Nadeshiko, no way, this was Nagihiko looking, why trying hard to be a gentleman and not notice anything else about her body's appearance, but damn it was hard.

"Wow." Rima managed to comment, her own eyes wide with surprise. Was this really her friend who wore a black hoodie two sizes too large all the time to school? Her hiding the way she looked only proved to Rima how much Amu hated getting attention; she'd defiantly get attention if she wore that to school. Even Utau was looking at her dumbfoundedly. She thought she was worried about Amu hanging around before, she had no idea.

"You look so cute!" Yaya complimented, again, so happy she had decided to put her in that. Yaya seemed to be the only one in the room that wasn't surprised. Of course she had only met Amu about an hour ago.

"Uh.." Amu started her already flushed pink face getting warmer, she hated everyone staring at her. "Can I take this off now? It's kind of embarrassing."

"Why?! It's looks good on you!" Yaya complained not understanding why Amu would be so embarrassed. That only made Amu blush more.

"Hmm.." Utau started looking Amu over, now that she was over the initial shock. She was thinking over what she was looking at. Amu, victim to her gaze, stood up straight and stiff. She was always nervous under Utau's looks, now she felt more vulnerable in this outfit. That being either the skirt or the unusual amount of skin showing. "Not bad..."

Amu was confused for a moment before Utau finished, "But, you're missing something." She told her grabbing her backpack she had taken up with her and walking towards Amu, "I don't do this often, so be grateful." she said before grabbing a hold of her wrist and dragging a confused Amu back into the bathroom.

-

-

The guys couldn't help staring, even after Amu had left. They just sat their gathered around the computer, their eyes still wide from shock.

"Here," Ikuto said coming back, "Soda and popcorn. Now don't ask me for...." he was starting to tell them to shut up about wanting anything else, until he noticed they weren't even listening. Ikuto glanced at the screen to see...nothing really going on. "Uh...you guys alright?"

When no one answered, he just shrugged and sat down with a soda. It wasn't until Ikuto was taking a drink did Kukai finally answer, "I think I just realized Amu's a girl."

Ikuto choked after hearing that answer, "Come again?" he asked everyone oblivious to his chocked out surprised response.

"It's just..." Kukai started moving his hands to match his sayings, "The shape...and the curves, and the..." Kukai answered, not sure how to put it all into words.

"Uh huh..." Ikuto managed to get out with a twitch. With every description Kukai gave Ikuto just gripped his soda can tighter and tighter, until the whole top had been blown off by pressure.

"She was wearing a skirt man!" Kukai blurted out having finally put the words together.

"Huh?" Ikuto asked the confusion all over his face, "Is that all?"

"Yeah..." Kukai answered with his own confusion on his face, "What'd you think I meant?"

"Oh,...nothing," Ikuto answered, knowing what he _thought_ Kukai meant, but not willing to voice it.

"You know, there's an easier way to open that," Kukai pointed out Ikuto's soda laughing. Ikuto only stared at him for a moment before putting him in a headlock, choking him, "What'd I do?!" Kukai managed to asked, struggling to get out of Ikuto's grasp.

Kairi snapped out of his daze at the sound of Kukai's choking/screaming in distress, "Should we do something?" he asked Tadase who had come back to earth himself, but instead of looking worried, just started eating popcorn and watching the computer screen.

"Nah," he answered shrugging at his friends, "They try to kill each other on a daily basis. Haven't you been around long enough to know that?"

"I guess..." Kairi answered, still nervous about Ikuto strangling their drummer, "Still..."

"I'm sorry!" Kukai kept repeating, not sure what he was sorry about, but was willing to say so to get Ikuto to stop choking him.

"Oh just let him go Ikuto!" Tadase told him, not sure why he was chocking Kukai to begin with.

Ikuto just shrugged, and threw Kukai down to the ground. "Gently." Kukai added staying on the ground from the pain.

"So, what was with all your zombie expressions anyway?" Ikuto asked settling back into his seat. Deciding to ask now that they were all back to normal.

"Were we?" Tadase asked, his face red with embarrassment.

"Yaya just put Amu into clothes we aren't used to seeing her in," Kairi explained avoiding the details of how she looked in said clothes, "We were just a little shocked, that's all."

"Uh huh," Ikuto answered, not buying that innocent explanation with all of them drooling at the screen earlier, "So where is she know?" Ikuto asked noticing she was missing.

"Oh," Tadase noticed the same thing, "She went into the bathroom with Utau..."

All their head jolted upward suddenly, once Tadase had said it. They all exchanged glances with one another. "Ahhhh!" Kukai shot up from the ground in a panic, "What're we going to do?! What're we going to do?!" Kukai asked looking back in front between Tadase and Ikuto.

"This isn't good." Tadase began to panic himself.

"There's a reason we're watching the monitor you morons." Ikuto told them, annoyed that they hadn't told him about what happened sooner.

"Yeah," Kukai asked him anger in his voice, "Well, you weren't even in here!"

"That's because, I was getting your food!" Ikuto answered back with the same tone in his voice as Kukai's.

"When did you start listening to what I tell you?!" Kukai countered pointing at him accusingly. Ikuto felt like strangling him again.

"He's got a point." Tadase added saving Kukai from a beating, with Ikuto turning to him with a glare.

"Wonder when Nagihiko's going to realize this." Kairi wondered, seeing nothing in his movements that suggested panic.

"He's useless!" Kukai commented, "There's no point in him being their if he's not helping!"

"Maybe nothing's wrong." Tadase suggested with a small bit of hope in his voice. That was quick vanished after the questioning looks from everyone.

"I read a murder mystery once about a girl that went to the bathroom in the middle of a party and was murdered while she was applying lip balm." Kairi said recalling the book, "No one even knew she was murdered until after the party, with no proof as to who committed the crime."

"Uh, Kairi." Ikuto stopped his story summary before he say anything more negative, "Stop helping."

"I say we give them five minutes, then we go kick down the door." Kukai suggested, unfazed by Kairi's story.

"What? Five minutes?" Tadase asked in disbelief, "Girls take longer than five minutes in the bathroom."

"Fine." Kukai answered annoyed with his logic, "Then _ten_ minutes. Nothing more!" Kukai made his final word be known by focusing on the screen waiting for the ten minutes to be up.

-

-

"You carry outfits too big for you around with you all the time?" Rima asked, curious as to have convenient it was for her to have an outfit that was the perfect size for Amu.

"Don't be silly," Yaya assured her with a light giggle, "I'm in charge of making the costumes for the school play. I brought that outfit home to work on it."

"What character is that outfit for?" Nagihiko asked turning the girlish charm back on.

"The Queen of Hearts." Yaya answered excitedly. Nadeshiko and Rima both stared blankly at her, "I haven't finished yet!" Yaya whined like a small child at their looks.

"Oh, I didn't say anything." Nadeshiko assured her, even though he really thought outfit was a stretch for the Queen of Hearts.

"Now, lets see..." Rima said bringing the notebook back to her attention bringing to flip through the pages.

"I don't think you should be looking at her homework," Nadeshiko commented with Rima just ignoring "her".

"It's not her homework," Rima answered him after scanning a few of the pages, "I think it's her song book."

"Song book?" Nadeshiko asked not sure what that was suppose to mean.

"Oooh! Let me see!" Yaya requested trying to read over Rima's shoulder. Nadeshiko sweat dropped. Were all girls the same that way? Yaya had managed to get Rima to put the book on the ground and the two girls sit between the notebook, reading the pages together.

"Amu-chan's really good!" Yaya said humming to herself.

"They're not bad." Rima nodded without making any expression.

"What are you talking about?" Nadeshiko asked looking at the girls as if they were crazy.

"I said it was her song book," Rima told her with an expression of annoyance, "What did you think was in it?" Then it dawned on Nadeshiko that the songs in the book were written by Amu.

"Can I see?" Nadeshiko asked with her usual charming smile.

"Oh, now you're curious?" Rima asked suspiciously pushing the notebook towards Yaya that took it in her hands.

"What's this about?" Yaya asked trying to show Rima, but she wasn't bothering a glance in her direction, too busy pondering her own suspicions. Yaya pouted, she hated being ignored. She decided to show her another way, taking a deep breath and started the song:

-

_**I've been told I'm weird**_

_**I've been told I'm scary**_

_**That I come on strong **_

_**And a bit intimidating **_

-

Rima and Nadeshiko both stared at her, "So..." Yaya asked gaining back her smile, "What's it mean?"

"Uh.." Rima began, hoping that Yaya didn't want to sing anymore, "She was a bit standoffish when she transferred over, so I guess that's what she's referring too."

Rima guessed quickly before Yaya could sing anymore.

"Oh..." Yaya nodded understanding before looking back down at the page, "Then where's the rest of it?"

Rima scanned the page, and the next few pages. "I don't think any of these are finished." Rima commented, observing how there were just a few stanzas on each page.

"How's this one go?" Yaya asked, already flipping to the next one. Before Yaya could start singing, Rima clapped a hand over her mouth. Nadeshiko sighed in relief.

"Why don't I just say it?" Rima suggested taking the book.

"Aww! But I want to know the rhythm!" Yaya complained with a pout.

"Imagine it then." Rima told her with an edge of bitterness. There was no way she was going to sing, so she just spoke the stanza with no enthusiasm or emotion.

-

_I just want to be real_

_I just want to be loud!_

_I want to be the one outside the crowd!_

_I just want to have some fun_

_And sing my song_

_I don't care what you think_

_I just want to be me._

-

"There." Rima answered throwing the book back in the middle of the circle the girls had formed on the ground.

"Aww! You did it all wrong!" Yaya complained, upset that Rima couldn't get into the spirit of the music.

"Too bad. Cause that's all you're getting." Rima stated beginning to flip through the book again. Yaya just pouted, crossed her arms and gave a 'hmph' sound in protest to Rima's attitude.

"Oww!" they heard someone scream from the bathroom, "That hurt!" it was obviously Amu.

"Suck it up cupcake!" Utau replied, not sounding apologetic for whatever she did.

"I wonder what she's doing?" Yaya asked suddenly recovering from her last state.

"Some form of torture more than likely." Rima answered not looking concerned for her friend in the least. That's when Nadeshiko's head jolted upward in realization.

Oh shit, he thought to himself beginning to panic. The guys probably figured it out by now. He probably looked like an idiot at the moment, well, more so than he did by just wearing a skirt. To top it all off, if Amu got hurt because he wasn't paying attention, he was sure Ikuto was going to kill him. They didn't necessarily need two guitar players. "Umm, should we check on them?"

"I'm sure they're fine." Rima answered not taking the bait Nagihiko had tried to use to get to Amu. Now he was panicking.

"What about this one?!" Yaya asked reading another chorus she was curious about.

"I don't know," Rima told her before she even looked at it, "I don't care, and if you try to sing it, I'll kill you." Nagihiko realized then how persuasive Rima could be. Making Yaya back away in fear.

"Who are you killing?" Utau asked walking into the room...without Amu. Nagihiko swore he was going to have a heart attack.

"W-where's Amu?" Nagihiko managed to ask in his Nadeshiko voice without trembling.

"She's coming, she's just slow." Utau answered taking a seat around the circle, "What are you looking at?"

"Oh Utau-chan!" Yaya said her name excitedly. Utau gave her a questioning look at her use of chan like they were friends or something. "Can you sing this?!"

"Why?" Utau asked looking at the scribble on the page.

"Because I want to know how it goes, and Rima-chan won't help!" Yaya explained with a whine in her voice.

"Then sing it yourself." Utau answered, not really in the mood to reveal her voice to these girls.

"Please don't make her." Rima said clapping a hand over Yaya's mouth she could begin an attempt, "Trust me, it will benefit us all."

Utau rolled her eyes before looking down at the words again, "Fine." she said taking in a deep breath.

-

_**Take a try and end up falling **_

_**Better than living without knowing.**_

_**Hit the ground and just start running**_

_**There's not time for you to stall.**_

_**Just go in your direction**_

_**Don't be scared about perfection.**_

_**Then you will see within time **_

_**You can be who you want to be.**_

-

"There." Utau said handing the notebook back to Yaya who was looking at her with admiration. "What?" she asked annoyed by her look.

"You have a beautiful voice Utau." a voice complimented entering the room. Nagihiko's eye's got wide again. Now, this was just too weird. Utau had taken down Amu's hair and brushed it out to be expertly styled straight. She had used her Xclip as a barrette to keep the tendrils out of her face. The biggest surprise, was what was on her face. Utau had forced_ make-up_ on her. A light pink shade of eye shadow matched her hair, the black mascara emphasized her golden eyes, and the light pink gloss of her lips made her smile shine brighter.

"Oooh Amu-chan!" Yaya exclaimed bright and excited, "You look so cute!" Yaya complimented with nods from everyone, even the zombie shocked Nagihiko. The comment made Amu blush a shade darker than before.

"M-my face feels heavy." Amu commented on the loaded amount of makeup Utau had applied, that only seemed like a lot to her.

"Don't insult my work." Utau snapped at Amu making her straighten up.

"I-I'm sorry." she apologized to Utau not wanting to get on her bad side, anymore than she already was anyway. Utau just nodded and looked at Nadeshiko who was clearing her throat lightly to get her attention.

"If you don't mind me asking," Nadeshiko started smiling innocently, "What possessed you to do that?"

"What do you mean?" Utau asked seeing there was something specific she was asking.

"I thought you didn't care for Amu that much." Nadeshiko asked bluntly Rima and Yaya looking confused and Amu slumping her shoulders in defeat.

"I don't." Utau admitted to Nadeshiko then turned to Amu, "Don't misunderstand, I didn't do this for _your_ benefit."

"Then who'd you do it_ for_?" Rima asked never hearing that she didn't like Amu, now she was going to have to keep close eye on her _and_ Nadeshiko.

"I did it for Ikuto." Utau stated crossing her arms as if she'd proven her point. She didn't with all the girls looking confused with that statement.

"How's that benefit Ikuto?" Yaya finally asked after the group had looked at one another, everyone only shrugging in response.

"Oh, I can of how." Nadeshiko commented slyly, unable to resist the temptation, he was sure Ikuto was listening, which only made the comment that much sweeter. Yaya giggled in response and Rima actually gave a smile commending her little joke. Amu was oblivious to the meaning of that, and Utau was not amused.

"Yeah right," Utau responded bitterly more than unrealistically, "You looked horrible before." Amu showed 'What?!' kind of expression that Utau ignored, "There was no way she could get anyone to come listen to the band. Making her look a little better helps the band, thus helps Ikuto." She gave one last glare towards Amu, "I could care less what you think of it."

"T-Thank you so much." Amu said sarcastically to Utau's kind heart, "Oh yeah, what were you singing earlier?" Amu asked snapping back to reality.

"Just something from a notebook," Utau answered with a shrug. Amu looked confused for a moment then her eyes got wide at the notebook in Yaya's hands. Yaya quickly threw the book to Nadeshiko, who in turn tossed it to Rima. With no one left to pass the book to, she just hid it behind her back.

"Rima!" Amu complained at Rima who was whistling innocently with the notebook still behind her back.

"We were just looking." Yaya tried to defend themselves.

"That's like my diary! You can't look through it without permission!" Amu complained, her face becoming a darker shade of red from embarrassment.

"You never tell me anything like that Amu," Rima said suddenly sounding heartbroken, "I thought I was your friend." Rima said tears starting to fall down her cheeks.

"Rima, uh, I," Amu started to answer not meaning to make her friend cry.

"Oh please," Nadeshiko said rolling her eyes at the scene, "Those are obviously fake."

"How could you tell?" Rima asked suddenly getting back to normal with her usual suspicions.

"I just know about acting myself," Nadeshiko, as Nagihiko, answered truthfully.

"I want to hear how this goes!" Yaya said to Amu who was looking confused at the scene between Rima and Nadeshiko. There seemed to be lightening sparking between their eyes.

"Huh?!" Amu asked suddenly realizing what Yaya had asked, "What did I just say?!" Amu asked offended that no one had been paying attention.

"But I'm asking permission! It looks recent so I thought it was apart of the song you were writing for the band." Yaya explained looking innocent and hopeful.

Amu glanced at the stanza Yaya was talking about and blushed, "I-It's n-not recent." Amu said closing the notebook.

"It's towards the end though!" Yaya defended her reasoning, opening the notebook back up to show her, "Plus I want to hear you sing!"

"Yeah Amu," Rima said looking away from Nadeshiko for a moment, "I've never heard you sing either."

"Rima!" Amu protested, she was suppose to be on her side.

"Plus, you really don't want to hear Yaya try to sing it." Rima explained, with Amu sweat dropping.

"Yeah," Utau said making Amu straighten up at the sound of her voice, "I want hear you sing too. I want to know what makes you so special."

"I'm special?" Amu asked trying to look innocent, or really looking it, so she didn't have to, but all eyes were on her, waiting patiently to hear her. Amu sighed in defeat and took the notebook. Amu began to sing, embarrassed by her own words.

-

_**I know that happy endings don't exist **_

_**And there is no prince charming**_

_**But you swept me away with your deep kiss**_

_**And you're my shining knight**_

_**I never want an after **_

_**To end this scene **_

_**Where you come and take me away**_

_**Flipping through these pages **_

_**To see them blank **_

_**But you can do the filling**_

_**I don't believe in this,**_

_**Not in fairy tales. **_

-

"So pretty," Yaya complimented a flushed red Amu, "Your voice is sweet."

"So you're decent huh?" Rima asked quoting what she said about her own singing on the first day she met Amu. That comment only making Amu blush harder.

"Not...bad," Utau commented hating the fact that her voice was so much better than her own, but focusing more on the song itself, "So that's recent?" she asked getting into her interrogation mode.

"N-no," Amu answered, nervous about Utau questioning glares.

"Amu's got a boyfriend," Yaya sang playfully repeatedly.

"I do not!" Amu complained to Yaya who playfully put her hands in front of her face for a defense.

"So, is that your type of guy?" Rima asked randomly all the girls looking at her questioningly, "The knight in shining armor, is that the type of guy you're into?"

"My type of guy?" Amu asked not sure how to answer, "I wonder. I never really thought about it before."

"Oh come on, you can tell us," Yaya pressed on poking Amu in the shoulder, "We'll tell you ours." Yaya offered without the concent of the other girls.

"O-Ok," Amu said still not knowing her type, "What's your type Yaya?"

"I've always been a sucker for cute guys." Yaya answered with a squeal.

"And you're dating Kairi why?" Rima asked, not knowing Kairi personally, but hearing enough about him from Amu that cute wasn't the first word to come to mind when thinking about him. Nagihiko and Amu were wondering the same thing. Utau was unaware that they were even going out, but now that she knew, she couldn't believe it.

"Well, isn't he adorable?!" Yaya answered as if it were obvious. Everyone just sweat dropped, it was kind of strange thinking of Kairi as adorable too. "What about you Rima-chan?!" Yaya asked keeping the cycle moving.

Rima shrugged thinking, "I guess I want a guy that had a good sense of humor." This took Nagihiko by surprise, he was expecting more of the kind of guy that would do whatever she said or something along those lines.

"Oh, I know," Yaya said excitedly, "Like a bala-balance!" Yaya said imitating the joke. Amu smiled knowing Rima did like that kind of joke. Only her smile faded once she saw Rima expression.

"YOU'RE DOING IT ALL WRONG!" she yelled at Yaya, who hid behind Amu frightened, "Respect comedy! What do you think it's all fun and games?! Comedy is a serious art and you shouldn't treat it like it's nothing!" Everyone just stared at her in surprise. No one knew she felt this strongly about comedy, not even Amu. The silence was quickly broken when Nadeshiko started muffling her laughter. "What's so funny?!" Rima asked her yes piercing through Nadeshiko in anger.

"Y-You," Nadeshiko got out unable to hold her laughter in any longer, "T-That was j-just s-so unexpected," she explained still laughing.

Before Rima could say anything in response Yaya quickly jumped in, 'What's your type of guy Nadeshiko?!" Nadeshiko quickly stopped laughing and froze. Why of why did that have to be asked?! It didn't make a difference what he said, it was going to be used against him.

"Uh..." Nadeshiko stated trying to stall for time to think, but with Rima's eyes on her, there was no time, "I guess I'm into the serious type of guy." He felt so much shame from having to answer that. "How about Utau?" he asked trying to get the attention off him.

"Me?" she asked not sure what to say, or why she should even answer, but reluctantly she did, "I suppose I'm into the strong and masculine type."

"She likes a manly man." Yaya said teasingly with a giggle, "Alright, so spill Amu." she commanded directing her attention to Amu, who was still unprepared to answer.

"Umm..." Amu answered trying to think, "I guess I like cute guys." she answered not sure how to put it. She only got Yaya laughing as a response, "What?" she asked not sure what she had said.

"Sorry," Yaya apologized holding down her laughter, "I just don't see you with a cute guy."

"Huh?!" Amu asked thinking Yaya meant a cute guy in general. What did she think she would only work with an ugly guy or something.

"I mean, you got a cool look going for you," Yaya reasoned understanding what Amu had thought, "I'd just see you more with a cool kind of guy, you know?"

Amu just stared blankly, not really knowing what she meant. "Amu can be into cute guys if she wants," Rima defended her, Amu appresiated, "Maybe she just likes being in charge of a relationship," Rima reasoned, Amu not appresiating that.

"Yeah," Utau said, amused with her type of guy, so not like Ikuto, "Amu likes being on top." Nadeshiko had to hold in a laugh from that burn. Rima didn't look as amused that Utau had made that comment on her friend, and Yaya just shook her head trying not to think about it too hard.

"On top of what?" Amu asked oblivious to what that meant. Everyone's eyes just got wide as they looked at one another for help.

"Uhh..." Utau started thrown off by Amu's blank look, "I-I'm so not explaining this." she answered looking away. Amu looked confused at her then when she met someone else's gaze, they just looked away unable to answer.

-

-

"That was pretty good." Kukai commented laughing at Amu. How could she not know what that meant? Was she really that naive?

"She's pretty innocent," Kairi noted, not expecting her to be that way.

"You would know wouldn't you," Kukai said grabbing his cheek, "Because you're so adorable." Kairi groaned at this, why did Yaya have to say that?

"We're just kidding," Tadase assured him, knowing what it was like to be victim to Kukai's teasing, "Right Kukai?"

"Yeah, yeah," Kukai said giving him a false assurance, "So, stop complaining to us! You see what we mean?! She's looks really weird, and so- Uh Ikuto?" he quickly changed over to talk to Ikuto but he was still zombie like in front of the computer. "Hello." Kukai tried to get his attention by waving his hand in front of his face.

"We were like that?" Tadase asked Kairi, who only nodded shamefully.

"Dude! Wake up!" Kukai yelled into his ear, only suddenly hit in the head to the ground. "Ow! What was that for?!" he demanded, but Ikuto only turned away, moving his chair and everything, "Sheesh!" Kukai commented not sure what was with him. Lucky for Ikuto he hadn't noticed the light color on his cheeks, the closest thing to a blush Ikuto could get.

**A/N:**

**Sorry this took so long to update, and it was so long when I updated! It was finals week last week so I had no time to do anything really. Now it's officially fall break for me! So I'm going to try to make up for lost time with updates! Just a little news for ya! ^-^ Also, I want to recognize xXLove'n'HateXx who has submitted 100 reviews all together (probably more by now) and gave her 100th one to this story! Wow that excites me so much! I just love reading her reviews so much! (I assume her but I don't know for a fact, so I'm sorry if I'm wrong! XP)! **


	17. Unwritten

_Just get your guitar and learn how to play_

_Cut up some jeans, come up with a name_

_When you're living in a world that you don't understand_

_Find a few good buddies_

_Start a band_

_~Brad Paisley (with Keith Urban) - Start A Band_

"Alright this is sick!" Nadeshiko couldn't help speaking out of her usual good charm, either as a boy or a girl, and complain about the concoction she was forced to drink, "What's in this?!"

"I don't remember everything," Yaya admitted, laughing to show she had no pity for Nadeshiko, "I just kind of threw a bunch of stuff on the table into the blender."

"That's about a thousand calories a sip," Rima commented regarding all the junk food she and Amu had bought before the party, making Nadeshiko feel sick to her stomach.

"Isn't truth or dare at a sleep over a bit cliched?" Utau asked, unamused by their antics.

"Oh, lighten up Utau!" Yaya whined playfully, hugging her neck from behind, "Games are only as much fun as you make them!" Yaya was smiling happily, as usual, oblivious to a twitching Utau, who was debating whether or not to knock her senseless.

Amu and Nadeshiko shared a look and shrugged laughing good heartedly at the two. Nadeshiko laughing ceased instantly when she felt two arms snake around her neck, "I say this was a success for the most part," Rima commented with light approval, after mimicking Yaya's actions.

Amu smiled and nodded in agreement, she was glad that the sleep over was a success. Even at three in the morning they were still joking around and having fun, although Amu felt that she was going to pass out at any moment. From her joy, and her sleep deprivation, Amu didn't notice that Nadeshiko had gone cold.

Nope, Nagihiko. He was stiff and frozen in place, not daring to make the slightest movement with Rima actually leaning on him. What kind of situation was this anyway?! Wasn't she just staring intensely at him suspiciously for the past few hours?! Why was she suddenly so friendly?! All these questions were running through his head out of confusion, and just for a distraction from thinking about the fact that a girl was on top of him.

"What's up with you?" Rima asked, feeling how stiff "Nadeshiko" had gotten, trying to sound innocent. Nagihiko caught that bit of challenge in her voice.

"Oh nothing," Nagihiko assured Rima, turning Nadeshiko and her charm back on. He knew she was up to something, he just wasn't sure what. They both gave each other innocent smiles, with a hint of a glare within their eyes that Amu, who was watching them, didn't seem to notice.

"Alright then," Rima answered surrendering this round as she let her hand fall from around Nadeshiko's neck. Nadeshiko released a sigh of relief when Rima began to walk away. "Mind if I change into my pajamas?" Rima asked Amu smiling innocently.

"Are you going to sleep?" Amu asked, hoping in the back of her mind that everyone felt the same.

Rima just shook her head, "No, I just thought I would since it's already three in the morning," Rima reasoned.

"Oh! I want to show you guys my pajamas too!" Yaya agreed with Rima going over to her bag. Nadeshiko just shrugged not really caring until he looked over at Rima, who was beginning to unbutton her blouse.

"Ah?!" Nadeshiko made a sound of shock, nearing falling out of her chair. "Y-you're changing_ here_?!"

"Why not?" Rima asked with more of a victorious smirk than a smile; she knew she had found the blind spot, "It's not like I have anything _you_ haven't seen before." _Shit, this is bad_, Nagihiko thought willing to give anything to get out of that room.

"Throw me my bag, will you Yaya?" Utau asked getting up from her seat to change as well. Nagihiko was pretty sure there was no way out of here without looking suspicious, but, damn it, he didn't care.

"I-I'm going to go to the bathroom." Nagihiko answered barely managing to keep up his Nadeshiko facade. He quickly grabbed his bag and went towards the bathroom, before he could be asked any question. Behind him, Rima was smiling amused by "Nadeshiko's" reaction.

-

-

Somewhere around two in the morning, the watchmen, seemed to have all fallen asleep in front of the computer screen. Ikuto with his head in his hand leaning against his chair; Kukai arms crossed as a pillow against the desk, gaining radioactive waves from sleeping in front of the computer; even Tadase and Kairi both leaned back in their chairs snoozing. The setting seemed peaceful, until blaring music suddenly began playing.

"What?! What?!" Kukai shot up looking around anxiously, the others groaned, complaining not about the music, but Kukai's naturally loud voice shouting. "Where's that coming from?!" Kukai asked to no one in particular as he continued looking around. "Where-?" he was about to ask again, but couldn't form the words after Ikuto shoved a marshmellow in his mouth to keep him quiet.

"Relax." Ikuto answered running a hand through his hair, still trying to wake up, "It's just my phone." he pulled the phone out of his pocket, and flipped it open to answer before even looking at the caller ID. "Hel-?"

"Get me out of here." Nagihiko interrupted his greeting, trying to get in his request with the short amount of time he had in the bathroom.

"Do you know what time it is?" Ikuto asked, wondering what had gotten him so worked up. Out of all of them, he was the one used to spending so much time with girls, his house always being full of dancers. What could shake him with a few younger girls?

"Yes, I know what time it is," Nagihiko answered in a way that Ikuto presumed was as calm as a pissed off Nagihiko could answer, "Which means, my job is pretty much done."

"Who is it?" Kukai asked swallowing the marshmellow in his mouth. Tadase and Kairi were also watching Ikuto for an answer. Instead of responding, Ikuto only shrugged and put his phone on speaker.

"What do you mean your job's done?" Ikuto asked beginning to get curious with Nagihiko's behavior.

"Everyone's going to leave in about four hours," Nagihiko answered getting annoyed by having to explain himself, "If Utau hasn't done anything to Amu at this point, I'm sure she's safe for the night. Meaning, there's no reason for me to be here."

"So going to Amu's place to pick you up at three in the morning isn't suspicious?" Ikuto asked rhetorically.

"I don't care." Nagihiko answered his voice getting louder than a whisper, "Think of something and get me out of here."

"I don't know," Tadase chimed in thinking aloud, "Do you remember the time Utau cut off all the hair of some girl that wouldn't leave you alone a couple years ago?" he was only asking Ikuto, but even Nagihiko heard it on the other line. Nagihiko smacked his forehead and shook his head, promising himself to smack him later for sharing that little story.

"Be strong man." Kukai told him as an attempt to cheer him up, but it only made Nagihiko twitch, with another note to hit him too.

"I don't get what's got you so worked up all of a sudden." Ikuto added, hoping to get him to talk, "Since when does being in a room of girls bother you?"

"Weren't you watching?" Nagihiko asked, not wanting to get into detail as to why it bothered him so much.

"Uh, we fell asleep after you guys were going through magazines," Kukai told honestly, not thinking of the consequences of his answer.

"What?!" Nagihiko shouted into the phone making all the guys jump back in shock. "What the hell?! What's the point if you guys are going to just fall asleep?! I ought to-" before he could continue with his threat, he quickly slapped his hand over his mouth, suddenly realizing that he had been shouting. He waited a few seconds to make sure none of the girls were coming to check on him.

"Uh...," Kukai started, confused as to how he could go off on a fit like that and just stop talking, "Are you ok?"

"No." Nagihiko answered with annoyed sarcasm, but in a softer tone, "I'm at a sleepover wearing skirt damn it, what do you think?"

"What'd they do to you?" Ikuto asked, shocked as an understatement, he had never heard Nagihiko cuss like that. To think spending time with a few girls could make him like that was astonishing to Ikuto. "You're like a different person."

"I'm just tired of getting harassed by Amu's bodyguard," Nagihiko answered bitterly thinking about everything Rima had put him through that night.

"When did she get a bodyguard?" Kukai asked, not getting the analogy.

"I think he means Amu's friend," Kairi answered with the process of elimination; Yaya wasn't a fighter and Utau obviously wasn't one to defend Amu.

"Oh, you mean the four foot Barbie doll?" Kukai asked, not sure how threatening she could really be. Sure she could throw a good glare, but where was the challenge?

"More like the devil with blonde hair." Nagihiko corrected him, "It's been nothing but death glares, tests, and bitter behavior, and she's been suspicious of me from the beginning, I wouldn't be surprised if she did know. Plus, she's starting to sexual harass me."

"O.k, there paranoid much?" Ikuto asked never hearing Nagihiko go off like that, "I'm sure you're blowing this out of proportion."

"Yeah," Kukai agreed, with a different reasoning, "Sexual harassing? I mean, she looks like an elementary school kid, what's she got to sexually harass with?"

"Ple-" Naghiko started, but slapped his hand against his mouth before he could get out his response. What was he about to say?! He was really starting to get crept out now.

Ikuto's ears perked up when he heard Nagihiko begin to respond. "What were you going to say?" he asked with his signature smirk plastered to his face.

"Nothing," Nagihiko responded, mentally smacking himself for saying it defensively, "Alright, alright, you win. I'll stay, but you all owe me." With that he smacked his phone closed an lightly hit head against the bathroom wall.

-

-

"That was so much fun!" Yaya complimented Amu on her party with another breath taking hug to show her appreciation, "We should do this again some time!"

"Sounds good," Amu got out patting Yaya on the back, more to get her to let go than anything else.

"See you guys later!" Yaya said leaving for the bus station with a final wave goodbye.

"I can't believe she never lost any energy," Rima commented, not sure how she was human. After a sleepless night, she thought the girl might have lost some of her prep, but no, she even seemed more hyper than before.

"Well, you know how some people are," Nadeshiko nodded in agreement, not sure how Yaya stayed cheerful after that everything either, "I guess I'll be off. It was nice meeting you Amu-chan." Nadeshiko said politely.

"Come back anytime." Amu answered a kind smile, making Nadeshiko reply with an equal smile.

"Yeah," just like that, there went the smile, right when Rima chimed in, "I'm sure we'll see you again soon."

"Maybe," Nadeshiko tried to fake another smile, "But, I'm due to leave soon, so I'm not going to make any guarantees."

"Alright." Rima answered sarcastically with a smile that said she knew. Nadeshiko only responded with a smile just as intense.

"Bye, Amu-chan." Nadeshiko said before taking off.

"I'll call you later Amu." Rima said with a slight wave before leaving herself.

Amu waved a good bye to both of them, "Well, this was nothing special," Amu nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard someone behind her. She had completely forgotten that Utau was still there, "But I guess it wasn't that bad." Utau gave Amu the closest thing to a compliment with that.

"Thanks," Amu replied with a grateful smile, "We should do it again some time."

"Maybe...," Utau answered determined to keep Amu guessing, "Anyway, I have something to do this afternoon, so I want to make sure that when you're with the band at my house tonight you stay away from my brother." Utau warned her, throwing on her protective sister attitude.

Amu smiled in recognition to the mood swing, "I promise I'll keep my distance Ikuto."

"And, uh," Utau tried to form the words while trying to relax, "Can I hear your song?"

"Huh?" Amu asked not sure what she meant by _her_ song. Did she mean one of the songs in her journal or something?

"The song you wrote for the band. Ikuto said you were going to write them a song for today, and I'm kind of curious." Utau admitted to wanting to know, it was something, maybe the only thing, she and Amu had in common. Utau liked writing songs, and she knew there weren't that maybe people who could be songwriters. She was actually interested in Amu's ability, or lack their of depending on the song, "What's it about?"

Amu smiled at Utau blankly for a moment, making Utau look at her questioningly. "Uh..." she started, still smiling dumbly, before she gave up and just put her hand behind her head and let out some nervous laughter.

"You haven't finished yet, have you?" Utau asked now glaring, "Why did you even have this party if you weren't even done with your work?!"

"Uh..., prior engagement." Amu tried to reason, Utau obviously not buying it, she literally looked like she was going to jump Amu or something, "It's a work in progress. I've got a few hours before I have to see them, so it's no problem."

"Well, you better have it done." Utau told her warningly, "It's like the only thing you have to do. The band is one of the few things Ikuto likes, so don't screw this up."

"What do you mean one of the few things?" Amu asked, not sure what she was talking about.

Realizing what she had let slip, Utau just turned away and started walking, "Never mind, just get the song done."

"Don't worry," Amu assured her as she went farther away, "You can count on me!" _I hope_, Amu added mentally. She had tried so many times before to put a song down on paper, but there was always the idea of if it wasn't any good, or if guys would want to even play to this song. With a sigh, she went outside and locked the door behind her. Maybe a small walk would give her some inspiration.

She wasn't sure how far she had been walking, just knowing it wasn't far enough. Her ideas were repetitive, and she was tiptoeing on her feelings. She didn't want to reveal too many details about herself within the song. But she just couldn't write one without some emotion added into it. Amu avoided thinking about song topics and just took in her surroundings, the colored leaves beginning to fall with the breeze, younger kids playing on swings, someone relaxing on a bench.

Wait, huh?! Amu took a closer look at the familiar person on the bench, "Huh?! What are you doing here!?" she asked screaming practically from surprise. She never would have guessed she was going to see Ikuto just lounging around at what she realized was a park.

Ikuto looked over at her lazily, cocking an eyebrow at her wondering what she was yelling about, "Good to see you too."

"You didn't answer the question!" Amu said still freaked out that he was here.

"What's got you so worked up?" he asked, she did seem more spastic than usual, and this was before he even did anything, "You do something wrong?"

"I..." Amu didn't want to admit to him that her song still wasn't written, but she didn't really have the ability to give a convincing lie, "I can honestly say I didn't do anything." stretching the truth a little never hurt though.

"O.k," Ikuto say questioningly at her confident answer, "So, what didn't you do?"

"Uh...." Amu froze not sure how to answer, she ended up just giving him nervous laughter that gave her away.

"You're not done yet are you?" Ikuto asked, already knowing by her expression he was right.

"It's...a work in progress?" Amu tried to answer, but Ikuto's look made her know that neither sibling was gullible, "I got nothin'." Amu admitted sighing into the seat on the bench.

"Nothing?" Ikuto asked not really helping, making Amu slouch lower in shame, "Didn't you start something earlier?" Ikuto asked remembering when they decided she would be the one to write the song in the first place.

"No." Amu answered too quickly, causing suspicion.

"You sure?" Ikuto asked messing with her, as usual, "I distinctly remember something that went like-"

"O.k," Amu said before he could say anything else, "I didn't like how it went."

"How come?"

"It's..." Amu didn't want to admit it, but she already knew he'd get it out of her eventually, "Kind of embarrassing." Amu answered with her cheeks just blushing without her consent.

"Embarrassing?" Ikuto asked, trying hard not to laugh at that reason. Of course he was unsuccessful, receiving a glare from Amu, that didn't have it's usual effect with pink cheeks. "How is that embarrassing?"

"You guys don't need to know stuff," Amu answered putting her cool attitude on in her stubbornness.

"Well, then say it's about a friend or something," Ikuto suggested, only getting another glare from Amu, "Fine, but most of the best songs come from true emotions, you know?" Amu looked at him for a moment, then it was her turn to burst into laughter. Ikuto just looked at her confused, what was up with her?

"Th-that was so lame!" Amu got out her explanation still laughing.

"So that's how it is." Ikuto said taken aback and not sure what he should think of that reasoning, "Just trying to help."

"I-I'm sorry," Amu said quieting her laughter, "I just don't think what I was writing was something you guys would want to play."

"At this point we just want something to play," Ikuto told her shaking his head, "Don't worry about whether we'll like it or not, just write what you want. If you stop before you finish you'll never know what we think anyway, and you'll never unlock your hidden potential."

Amu wanted to laugh again, it was just too weird hearing Ikuto say stuff like that, but something he said caught her attention, "Unlock my potential?" she whispered to herself thinking. Ikuto looked over at her curiously, not sure what she was thinking about. "Unlock...my heart? ...and you will see, the me I want to be...? I got it!"

Ikuto jumped back shocked by her suddenly yelling, "Got what?"

"Lyrics, an idea, something to work with. I got to go home and write this down before I forget," she took off towards the direction before turning around to go back, "I'll have it done by practice. Thank you so much." she told him in her excitement and even hugged him quickly before running off again, "See you at noon!" she called back with a wave before running out of sight.

"You're welcome?" Ikuto said after she was gone, looking confused, "What just happened?"

**A/N:**

**I'm back...well, online anyway. I've been grounded for a while, with no access to Internet, tv, phone, game systems, or my books or manga...do you know what that left me with? Nothing but studying...although I do have an A in math for the first time ever. Well, I've missed fanfiction a lot, and my plan of getting a lot of chapters updated over fall break was an epic failure. Just letting people know I was grounded, not having writer's block or giving up on the story. Happy Belated Halloween, and Belated Day of the Dead! **


	18. You've Got to Be Kidding

_You'd know how I feel, you'd know that I'm good for you_

_If only you could step in my shoes_

_Baby you'd see what I mean and let me just make a move_

_If only you could step in my shoes_

_~My Shoes - Jordan Pruitt _

In Ikuto's garage, most of the band members there were all waiting with anticipation and hope that they would have something to do at practice that day. But...there was one, who after a tiring night, was just leaning his head against the wall, not making and motion, in shame. Spending the night at a teenage girl's sleepover can scar a guy like Nagihiko for life. He had been banking on Amu being too tired to stay up all night, making the other girls have to sleep too. That way he could spend the night asleep, and not being harassed, and not being accused, and not having to spend the whole night talking like a girl while wearing a skirt! Nagihiko was already on edge enough, so Kukai coming up to him and asking, "Rough night?" didn't help the situation any.

Nagihiko gave Kukai a tired glare, that seemed to have no effect on Kukai's mocking smile, that never failed to appear when the victim of humiliation didn't want to see it. "No, I'm lively and busting with energy," Nagihiko remarked with sarcasm, along with an additional hint of bitterness. Ikuto, watching the two communicate from a safe distance, was baffled. He had never seen Nagihiko in such a foul mood before; normally, he was a cool and collective guy that wasn't bothered by much. If spending time with a bunch of teenage girls had this effect on him, maybe, for the safety of the family business, he should get out of his house full of female dancers.

"You're kind of bitter this morning," Kukai commented, not taking the indirect warning Nagihiko had sent him with his reply, "What's up with you"

"I don't know," Nagihiko said with the most energy anyone had heard from him all day, of course, with thick layer of sarcasm, made the guys all look up in alarm, "Maybe it was that wonderful night I spent talking about makeup, and clothes, and boys. All lots of fun, especially with an evil girl giving me suspicious glances the whole night that I felt like I was suffocating. All to help a friend, who, turns out, didn't need my help to begin with. Meaning I spent a night in a guy's hell for the sheer amusement of others."

All the guys were speechless in the room, too much in shock at Nagihiko's outburst to make any reaction, except the blank stares plastered on their faces. Nagihiko was panting at the end, hoping to have made his point. He seemed satisfied with their silence enough to take a deep breath in, before he could release it calmly though, Kukai, of course, commented with, "Uh, don't forget about the skirt." Instead of releasing the breath with a calm sigh, Nagihiko released it through his teeth, giving an impression of a hissing snake.

"Who could forget that little detail?" Nagihiko asked with a good natured sarcasm, different from the thicker tone from before, and gave a carefree smile, that appeared more forced than anything.

"By the way," Kukai started changing to a more curious tone, "I've been meaning to ask you something," All the guys looked at him questioningly. What made him go from mocking Nagihiko all morning to sounding serious about a question? "What's it like to wear a skirt?"

Ikuto thought he seriously heard a snap from Nagihiko who was smiling, with a twitch, and his vein throbbing, "You really want to know?" he asked in a dark menacing voice that made everyone nervous. "I forgot to mention it, but I took that role seriously to keep my identity a secret, so I hate questions about that out of mere curiosity." At this point, Nagihiko seemed to be engulf in a demonic aura, with Kukai, especially, frozen in place, scared of this unknown side of Nagihiko, "If you really want to know, you'll have to find out for yourself."

-

-

Amu was surprised how the words seemed to flow onto the page once she had a general idea of where she was going with the song. She had to admit, the song was kind of a stretch for a band called, Biting the Bullet, to perform, but at least she didn't have to go in empty handed. Regardless of all those sleepless nights, Amu had an adrenaline rush, anxious to share what she had come up with.

She ran up to Ikuto's garage, using the door that led straight into it that Ikuto had shown them last time. Without even knocking she barged right in, something she learned to never do again after the horrifying sight that came as a consequence.

"Oh, hello Amu," Nagihiko greeted her casually with his usual smile, all while on top of a struggling, and pants-less, Kukai. Tadase and Kairi were both, for whatever reason, holding down the plaid skirts they were wearing. Amu may have admired the color choice for the boys, green for Kairi and red for Tadase, if, well, they weren't wearing them! Ikuto somehow managed to get up stay up on the wall, holding onto a windowsill with one hand and balancing steadying himself against the wall. Amu may have wondered how he could do that, if she wasn't distracted by the boys in skirts and one boy in his underwear.

"Uh..." Amu couldn't describe in words how this looked to her, "If...this is a bad time...I can come back later." Amu said inching towards the door.

"No!" Kukai screamed after her, and, knowing she was his only protection, found the strength to escape from Nagihiko to catch Amu before she left. He quickly put her in front of him as he gave an explanation to Nagihiko, "You wouldn't want to risk the girl, would you?!"

"Wh-what's going on?" Amu asked too confused about the situation to say anything else.

"Ever wonder why we pick on Tadase about looking like a girl, but never say anything to Nagihiko?" Kukai asked her in a whisper so the guys couldn't hear him. He took Amu's silence, and confused expression, as a yes, and continued with an explanation, "This is exactly why! He doesn't get mad very often, but when you mention something about his girlish figures, he goes crazy!" he whisper screamed, obviously having experienced this before.

"Uh..alright," Amu said just trying to think of this as a "normal" situation, "Well, I got some lyrics, but I don't have any idea on what to do about the notes."

"Right!" Kukai announced, suddenly gaining back his confidence, "We need to get to work and get this done! Let me see your lyrics." Kukai put his hand out to Amu, expecting her to hand over the lyrics to him, but she was only staring at him blankly.

"Yeah..." Amu said uncertainly, not sure how to put her issue delicately to him, "C-could you put on some pants first? I really can't take you seriously in underwear with rocket ships on them." Kukai looked at her confused at first, then looked down at the print on his boxers. Embarrassed, he covered himself, or at least tried to hide the embarrassing rockets.

"They were on sale!" Kukai explained making Amu try harder to hide her laughter, "Leave me alone!" Kukai added stomping off to get his pants.

Amu only had to give a glance towards Kairi and Tadase to get a response, "Don't say it," Tadase told her holding a hand up to keep her from commenting, "We know." he assured her, pulling down his skirt and waddling over to his pants, Kairi right behind him, looking awkward from the situation.

"What about you?" she asked Ikuto, looking up at his position on the wall, "Coming down?"

Ikuto looked over at Nagihiko before answering, "Fine," and jumping down rather gracefully.

"How'd you get up there anyway?"

"I've had practice," Ikuto explained, seeing Amu's confused expression he went into more detail, "Playing hide and seek with Utau can make a person get creative." Amu rolled her eyes with a smile, knowing, after seeing her reaction to Ikuto the first day she met her, that this was probably true.

"Could we focus people?!" Kukai demanded hoping on one foot as he slid his pants up to his waist, "We only have so long to practice!"

"When did he get so concerned about practicing?" Amu asked Ikuto, to try to discover this sudden change in her goofy friend she'd grown to love.

"My guess is he just wants to get away from Nagihiko as soon as possible," Ikuto told her in a hushed tone so neither Kukai or Nagihiko could hear his reasoning. Amu nodded, approving his deductive reasoning, she barely even noticed Kukai snatching the papers she was holding out of her hand.

"Lets see what you got." Kukai said skimming the pages, everyone huddled around Kukai to read the song themselves, except Amu who waited patiently in front of them for their commentary, "I got a question." Kukai said not showing any particular emotion, just some indifference.

"Yeah?" Amu asked, not sure whether this would be something positive or negative, Kukai was just too unpredictable to tell.

"What do you think we are some bubble gum pop band?!" Amu flinched back from his sudden change in volume, although at this point she should have expected something like this, and gave Kukai a look, that could be a glare depending on if he had something else to say. He did, "You're the one who came up with Biting the Bullet, and now you want us to play this girly song in front of everyone. For the sake of my pride as a man, I will not do it!"

"Uh, well, a girl is singing it," Amu pointed out, lashing out her attitude, with a glare to add to it, "And I'm not going to sing some disturbing hard rock song for guys, just so you can your 'manly pride'!"

"No guy is going to even want to listen to this!" Kukai countered, showing his backbone, or daring stupidity (no one's sure which), "That's a lot of people we've lost!"

"Actually," Kairi chimed in, adjusting his glasses, professionally, as he spoke, "According to my research, a majority of the potential listeners of Biting the Bullet will indeed be girls."

Kukai gave Kairi an aggravated looked before commenting sarcastically, "Thank you math wiz." Kukai and Amu were now staring each other off, neither one saying anything, but a potential verbal fight was on the verge of breaking out.

Before the two could start going at each other again, Ikuto intervened by taking the lyrics out of Kukai's hands, "Make peace guys," Ikuto warned them, not really caring, just annoyed by how they always manage to argue during practice, "It's not that bad, and with the right notes it can be a rock song." Ikuto added, swatting Kukai in the head with the paper for starting the ordeal to begin with.

"Should we play it on a C note or a G note?" Nagihiko asked, somehow managing to regain his cool, calm, and collective self, and performed the usual task of getting everyone focused on practicing.

"Depends," Ikuto told him, focusing back on Amu, "What rhythm did you come up with?"

"Well, it's suppose to be kind of fast, like a 1/2 maybe," Amu told him trying to remember what she had thought was the exact beat she had gone with, "And, kind of an emphasis in the last three syllables of the first three lines in the stanzas, then like a lower note on the last line."

"Great," Kukai commented sarcastically, already not liking the sound of this, "Now it's girly and hard to play!"

Amu shot a glare in his direction, but before she could respond, Tadase cut in, "Why don't we try it out?" he suggested going for his base.

"Fine," Kukai agreed reluctantly, heading towards his drums, "But if it's fast, I want to go killer on it," he said about to demonstrate on the drums, until he was scarred half to death about the garage door suddenly coming to life. Everyone jumped back instinctually, even Ikuto didn't know what was going on. In the driveway was a black vehicle that seemed to shine like new. The horn was blaring, obviously indicating that they were doing something wrong.

"What the hell?! Get that shit out of the garage!" an older man's voice commanded in, what seemed to Amu as, a deep threatening voice with a sense of authority she wasn't used to hearing, especially in comparison to her father's usual go lucky self. "What is this? Some kind of freak show?" the man asked stepping out of his car and approaching the staring teenagers.

"You're home early," Ikuto told him, seeming to be the only one that wasn't affected by this man's intimidation, and actually seemed to be more annoyed by the fact than anything else.

"Yes, I have a few employees staying for the remainder of the trip," he explained, not at all in an apologetic tone, he sounded like it was a hassle to have to explain himself, "Just so I could come home to find some junk in my garage." Amu found out that he had a me complex, his favorite statements involving what belonged to him.

"instruments," Ikuto answered, rolling his eyes from his repetition on this same explanation, "Like I said before, we use the garage to practice."

"Practice what?!" the man asked, with a laugh, if you could call it that, there was nothing humorous in it though, "That noise you call music? The biggest waste of time, and space, I've ever heard of." The members recovered from their shock after that statement, and exchanged glances, none of them sure how to react to the blatant insult they had just received.

"Does he know we're in the room?" Kukai asked, not bothering with a whisper, seeing as he didn't really care about some guy insulting their music. Amu was too confused to try to keep him quiet, or to at least try to be a little more polite.

The man looked over Ikuto was a questioning expression towards everyone else, "Who the hell are you kids," well, that answers Kukai's question. Amu felt herself on instinct reply with a look that suggested he was stupid or something, too bad he noticed her look, "Get out my house!"

"We're not even in your house! This is the garage!" Kukai told him, just for the sake of being a smart ass. Nagihiko and Tadase, as if in sync, both hit Kukai on his arms, Nagihiko being on one side of him and Tadase on the other. "Oww!" Kukai got out rubbing both his shoulders.

"We'll relocate," Ikuto said to them, without glancing back at the man for his consideration, "Go on to my room; I'll be there in a second."

"How are we suppose to find it?!" Kukai asked, still rubbing his arms, "Your room switches sides of the house all the time!"

"No," Nagihiko said with a sigh, grabbing one of Kukai's arms and pulling him along, "You just have poor sense of direction." Everyone followed Nagihiko, both by will and by force, out of the garage and into the house on Ikuto's orders. They had to go through the kitchen, up the stairs, and past a bunch of rooms that didn't seem to have anyone living in them before they stopped at a plain looking door.

They all hesitated at the door, as if they were about to enter some unknown territory, which was true for everyone but Tadase, who hadn't seen the room since he was a kid. With a slight push from Kukai, Tadase was volunteered to turn the knob, and opening it slowly, it wasn't until after everyone took a peek inside did he throw the door open for them to enter. It was pretty plain, and almost looked like one of the rooms that no one lived in, Amu quickly made the assumption that he didn't spend much time at home.

"Too clean," was the only comment made, by Kukai, who said it more as a question than a statement. It is rare to find a teenage boy's room clean after all. Nagihiko just shrugged, Amu assumed his room was rather neat as well. The only bad thing about Ikuto's lack of self expression in his room was that there was nowhere to sit down. Even the small desk in the corner didn't have a chair to go with it. Everyone kind of stood around waiting, except for Amu, who was too tired to stand up any longer, and just fell on the bed from exhaustion. She had landed on her stomach, her face looking down, hidden on the bed, her exhaustion had just hit her, and hit her hard. A few days without sleep was not something she could do, she was surprise she was still conscious. She was too tired to even care about Kukai making another comment, while snickering, "You know, looking comfortable on a guy's bed is just an open invitation."

When she didn't reply, Kukai looked at her questioningly, she looked like she may actually be asleep. That's when he got the idea. Careful to make sure he wasn't in the way of breaking anything, he jumped high in the air and landing on the bed, shooting Amu up slightly, her reaction of course freaking out. "What the?!" Amu asked as Kukai fell back on the bed himself.

"Hey this is comfortable," Kukai said, ignoring Amu and her questioning looks. He seemed sprawled out, relaxing himself, really he didn't get much sleep that night, along everyone else. Might as well sit down while waiting for Ikuto.

-

-

It didn't take Ikuto long to speak to his stepfather and make his way to his room, he made it a point never to have a long conversation with that guy, or else the discussion may veer into dangerous topics. Although, even the short one's had that danger too.

"What are you doing goofing off with this group?" Ikuto's stepfather had asked once they had all filed into the house, "All those hooligans will do is waste your time and get you off focus."

"What focus?" Ikuto asked, knowing what he had meant, but still trying to point out the fact that he didn't care.

"Listen you," he replied, almost threateningly, "I don't like the idea of having some punk smart ass kid as my successor, but damn it I've been working on you too long to not get something out of you."

"I have guests," Ikuto said, as a means of escape without hearing anymore about Easter or his position there.

"If you were going to get friends, couldn't you at least get some normal ones?" he asked, still amazed by the kids that were in his garage a moment ago, never in a million years would he have thought they were the crowd Ikuto would be hanging out with, "They all look like girls, one with long hair and another with pink hair."

Although he could tell that his stepfather wasn't trying to be funny, but Ikuto couldn't help breaking the his sneer attitude with a light laugh at that statement. He had thought that black sweatshirt on her seemed way too big for her, but for his stepfather to actually think she was a boy was something. "The one with pink hair is a girl," Ikuto told his stepfather, who was taken aback by Ikuto's amusement.

Ikuto had left before he could hear what else he had to say. He quickly grabbed his acoustic guitar he had in one of the rooms he used to store his instruments, since no one was living in a lot of the rooms in the house anyway. He thought that maybe they got lost on their way to his room or something like that when he got to his door and didn't hear any yelling or objects being broken. Never would he have guessed to walk in and see them all just relaxing on his bed.

"Hey Ikuto," Kukai greeted him, his head off the bed hanging upside down. From what Ikuto could see, they were all just on the bed relaxing, in different positions.

"What are you guys doing?" he asked, seeing what they were doing, but not sure why.

"Hey, you're the freak with no chairs in here," Tadase explained, "Where else are we suppose to sit?"

"Alright then," Ikuto said, shaking his head at these people, the people he chose to hang out with, "Move over," he told Tadase whose feet were taking the pillow at the front of the bed, and threw them to the side so he could sit down, "Let's get started then."

-

-

"Why not start it out with a big bang?" Tadase suggested as they were finally figuring out the last chorus of the song, "That way it grabs everyone's attention."

"We ended with a 'bang' on the bridge," Nagihiko reminded him, beginning to feel restless from all the time they had spent on the notes.

"I say, we could put in a drum solo there and-"

"No!" everyone yelled at him for the final time that evening.

"You've suggested a drum solo every time we've started thinking of what notes to put in," Ikuto said, fed up with the idea, "Quit asking."

"Why not?!" Kukai demanded, offended by the number of people overruling him, "You got a cool guitar part"

"That's because it fits well," Nagihiko tried to reason with him, before he did something stupid.

"Oh, and a drum solo is too much to ask for?!" Kukai demanded about to go off on someone.

"Start it off softly," Amu mumbled, barely conscience at this point, attracting the guy's attention with obvious confusion in their eyes, "If you start of softly on the first verse, and then go into playing it normally on the second verse, then it kind of sounds like a 'bang' or something." Ikuto shrugged and played the notes for the chorus softly on his guitar on the first verse, then strummed normally at the second.

"Not bad," Kairi commented, being the one chosen to decide yes or no when they played since he was the expert critic.

"Cool," Kukai said, suddenly drained of energy, "Can we go home now?"

"Yeah, we're done," Ikuto told him putting the guitar down, "Anyone need a ride?"

"My mom's coming," for Tadase

"My brother," for Kukai

"My sister," for Kairi

"My mother's student," for Nagihiko

"Bus," for Amu, who was still looking like the walking dead.

"What bus?" Ikuto asked waving a hand in front of her face to check if she was alright, she made no reaction to it.

"In half an hour I think," Amu answered, not really sure what time it was now.

"I think I'd better take you home," Ikuto said, worried she may hurt herself before she even got to the bus stop.

"I'm fine," Amu tried to assure him, with little success.

"You'd better let him take you," Kukai told her in a serious voice, "You look like you'll go unconscious any moment now, and if you fall asleep on the bus, you could end up on the other side of Japan before you realize you've been robbed, hungry, and someone messed with your-" Nagihiko quickly slapped a hand over his mouth before he could continue.

"I think she gets the point," he told him, sighing at how he could turn his concern for someone into a joke in an instant.

"Mmmk," Amu said not sure what was going on really, just too tired to argue with anyone.

"Alright," Ikuto said grabbing his guitar to put away, "I'll see you guys tomorrow, and you," he gestured towards Amu, "Stay here." he told her as if she would go wondering off somewhere or something.

The guys kind of trudged out, barely waving a signal goodbye as they went through the door. Ikuto had gone to the room with all his instruments, and meant to put his guitar up real quick. Only, somehow he could leave the room knowing that one of his instrument's was missing a string. He began repairing it, and didn't notice until half an hour later that he was still in the room. "Ah man!" he said to himself, heading back towards his room. He was pretty sure Amu wasn't patient enough to wait while there was a bus leaving.

"You've got to be kidding," Ikuto said more to himself when he opened the door to his room. Amu was still there, the only problem was, she was asleep, "Come on, wake up," Ikuto told her shaking her shoulder to try to wake her up. He was unsuccessful though, only causing her to roll over to face him. She seemed knocked out cold, and, Ikuto quickly found out, when she's out, she's out.

"Fine, you got to wake up eventually," Ikuto told her just for his own benefit more than actually telling her. When he started to leave he felt something grab his shirt. He turned around to see Amu had grabbed his shirt in her sleep, "Really?" Ikuto asked, not believing his luck on this, "Great, now you're going to wake up and be pissed at me for being an innocent bystander." he mumbled to himself sitting on the bed, and waiting for either, her to wake up, or to let go so he could leave.

**A/N:**

**Wow, it sure is hard to try to write when relatives are over, I'm glad I'm an early riser, otherwise this wouldn't have been done until Saturday or something. Well, we all love our relatives, but sometimes we just need a break, fanficition is my break. Hope everyone has a wonderful turkey day and eats until they puke, I know I will! Enjoy! XD **


	19. Goodbye

Dear Fanfiction People,

I'm Angel Lilith's older brother (not going to use my name or her real one), I found my sister's password in her math notebook (don't ask), and I tried to put this letter up before (all the people that complained about Chpt. 19 getting put down now know why), but I got too emotional. Now, I'm getting over it long enough to make this much needed notice.

On December 5th, my sister and my grandmother (who also had a hand in this story), went out to start Christmas shopping, when their car got hit by a semi that was out of control. Both died instantly, along with the driver in the semi.

My sister loved writing this story, and annoyed the crap out of me when she made me read her first drafts. It's kind of sad knowing that this story will never be finished.

Main question is, I'll keep this up if people want, otherwise I'm taking it down (and delete this account if I can figure out how).

One more thing, I found this in her songbook. This was suppose to be what the band would play at their "gig", so this is the last thing my sister has for you.

**Song Title: Unlock My Heart**

Lyrics:

**Verse One**:

Everyday I live my life

Going through the same routine

Feeling like I'm blending in the crowd

I hate

_**-break-**_

On and on the same old thing

Hiding in my outer shell

Acting like I know it all

I don't

**_-break-_**

I'm tired of playing in

This game I feel I'm losing in

I'll pray tonight that I can be

Just me

**Chorus:**

I'll make a complete trans-for-ma-tion

When I hit the stage

**_-break-_**

Shining in my own light

No matter where I play

**_-break-_**

Stuck in this routine

I've just got to make a change

**_-break-_**

Unlock my heart and you will see

The me I want to be

**Verse Two:**

Try to act like I'm so cool

When I'm really shy at school

How could you fall for this charade

You see

**_-break-_**

I show my personality

To my friends who all love me

But still I have to keep the truth

Inside

**_-break-_**

I want to be an honest girl

And tell him how I really feel

But this fear of being me

Holds me back

**Chorus:**

I'll make a complete trans-for-ma-tion

When I hit the stage

**_-break-_**

Shining in my own light

No matter where I play

_**-break-**_

Stuck in this routine

I've just got to make a change

**_-break-_**

Unlock my heart and you will see

The me I want to be

**Bridge:**

In our hearts we all believe

Have ambitions and our dreams

With our hope we keep alive

In our characters that we hide inside

**Chorus:**

I'll make a complete trans-for-ma-tion

When I hit the stage

**_-break-_**

Shining in my own light

No matter where I play

**_-break-_**

Stuck in this routine

I've just got to make a change

**_-break-_**

Unlock my heart and you will see

The me I want to be

~Angel Lilith


End file.
